[btr41n]

I definitely agree with you, and though I feel that this petition can be more eloquently stated and logically founded, I think it's a good way to at least start the ball rolling on getting a proper petition out there. (I didn't start the petition, but as an advocate of NASA, I figured HN seemed to be a good place for this to be discussed.)

As for private sector space, though much of it is currently driven by profits, my thoughts are that if the private sector can lay out an infrastructure to make it easier to access space, then the scientific community has more of a capability to continue research at a lower cost. This is the same idea of how NASA is continuing to send supplies (and eventually astronauts) to space through SpaceX. Eventually, NASA won't have to spend as much on transportation costs, because the private sector will have made reaching space cheaper. Or at least here's to hoping!