studying the same topics proposed by Obama), nothing much has changed to alter how they will react to it, so at the least you can see why the expectation of Congress and most folks in NASA is that's where it will go. R&D has NEVER been to top dog at NASA. Shuttle has, Station has, and then Constellation was. Thats why the R&D gets eaten. What happens if we make R&D the big piece of the pie. Why not? Why not leave the facility that is to do orbit maintenance & repair in space, and move it around, so you don't have to spend money on fuel, flights, and the like, all the time? &gt; == You are asking how do we get the public to care more &gt; about NASA. What I am talking about is how to change the &gt; mission of NASA so that it fills a void that is needed by the public. It doesn't mater if they need it. If they don't support it it gets killed. &gt;&gt; Again. How? &gt; By not focusing on stunts. By focusing on industry creation But no ones planning to do it, nor even tried to sell the idea -- or a idea of what such a industry would be, and why voters would want it. &gt;&gt; NASA can be dangerous for them given it screws up and &gt;&gt; embarrasses them. NASA has a bad reputation for lying &gt;&gt; through their teeth to them. &gt; Not really. The only