| > Conservative ideology views government research as inefficient compared to private sector research, something I generally agree with. I'd agree that's generally true when a profit motive is identifiable. Absent that, if left to the private sector, the research simply doesn't get done at all. > The evidence for this in regards to space is very clear IMO You have an incredibly narrow view of what space "research" involves. It's not just about putting payloads in LEO. Were it up to the private sector, the HST wouldn't exist at all. Whether that's good or bad is a philosophical discussion, but personally, I believe science should be about more than just what is profitable. (and that's ignoring that, as others have pointed out, SpaceX stands on the shoulders of government-funded giants) The reality is there's room for both government-funded and private research, and to imply otherwise... well, let's just say we're living in a time of extremely narrow, black-and-white, polarized thinking, and this is an excellent example. |