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More than billions, it's been approximately 1 trillion dollars in the past 50 years according to the table at [1]. Do note, however, that in a single year the US spends more than double that amount on keeping people fed, housed, and healthy through programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Unemployment, and Labor. Also remember that this is just American spending - other nations also have space programs and social programs. But what can you possibly mean by "when will this promise be delivered?" Yes, some humans are still starving, cold, thirsty, or hurt. Some are fighting - some for good reasons, like protecting/providing basic rights and needs for themselves and others, but many are fighting for stupid reasons. Humans still become sick and injured, and we still die. We cannot "solve" these problems today by throwing money at them. We will probably never be able to completely solve them. By analogy, you cannot complete the task of having clean dishes and laundry by buying new place settings and clothes. But consider that these endless chores have become easier and less impactful with the advent of indoor plumbing, washing machines, cotton gins, sewing machines, and synthetic fabrics - not to mention advances in transportation, communication, and other seemingly unrelated fields. In the same way, the work of keeping people healthy and fed has been improved by the development of agricultural, medical, and other technology. Certainly, feeding the hungry is important, and we should spend a great deal right now to help those in need. But there are other needs, and it would be foolish to not use some of our effort on making future needs less. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_of_NASA |