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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Reply to Wilkins
Message-ID: <3701@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 30-Mar-84 17:44:43 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.3701
Posted: Fri Mar 30 17:44:43 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Mar-84 17:44:43 EST
References: <266@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 16

".....building moon rockets seems like an EXTREMELY inefficient way to do
basic research.  If you want new plastics, materials, glues, etc., why
not just look for them and chuck the space program?"

Because in practice, such research moves *much* farther and faster when
it has a specific objective in mind.  The above argument has been given
a number of times in response to the argument that improved technology
is a major result of ambitious aerospace programs.  (Not just space,
but high-technology military work too.)  The fatal flaw in it is that,
by and large, such research simply does not get done without a specific
objective to motivate it.  The argument is usually used as part of a
speech which urges budget cuts for specific projects but never proposes
anything to replace them as motivation/funding for research.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry