“October 5, 2010 – Rasumssem Reports:”

Are you settling an old argument, or is this somehow related to the present topic?

Regarding polls, it’s one thing to ask if the public thinks something is important, but it’s another to ask them how much they would be willing to pay.

That same Rasumssem poll showed that “52% of Adults say the space shuttle program has been worth the expense to taxpayers” – that’s not a ringing endorsement of the job NASA has done over the last 30 years, especially when forty-one percent (41%) believe the United States should cut back on space exploration.

The binary choice of government vs the private sector for space funding is also a silly question, since that is not even the question or the debate that is before us.

I think you can find trends in this poll, but I would not look for answers.

[Anne Spudis wrote: 50% of Americans want Americans in space. And this has been almost a constant number for decades.]

Cite your sources. All the articles I’ve seen in recent years say the opposite.
Update for Stephen C. Smith

October 5, 2010 – Rasumssem Reports:

[snip] “Forty percent (40%) of Americans feel the space program should be funded by the government, up slightly from April. Thirty-two percent (32%) say funding for the program should come from the private sector. Twenty-eight percent (28%) are undecided.

Interestingly, most entrepreneurs and private company employees feel the space program should be government-funded, while the plurality of government workers feel the private sector should handle the expense.

An overwhelming 72% say it’s at least somewhat important for the United States to have a manned space program, including 35% who say it’s Very Important. Only 21% say it’s not very or not at all important for the country to send humans into space. …”

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/october_2010/52_say_space_shuttle_program_has_been_worth_the_cost

Earlier linked poll:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/121736/majority-americans-say-space-program-costs-justified.aspx

@brobof- They did that w/Enterprise about 30 years ago. Saw it over NYC on the way to Washington then a cross country ‘tour.’ If you aren’t looking for it, nobody bothers to look up and it really isn’t as big as you might think at 3000 ft over midtown Manhattan.

@MrEarl- Enterprise is already at the NASM annex. Perhaps they’ll put that out on loan and fill the space w/Discovery. San Diego and LA both have good aerospace museums. And there’s Edwards AFB to consider as a site and draw.

Repeat for the other orbiters.

Stopgap Bonus: the mock TPS will have to be manufactured and emplaced by the ex- standing army. Thus providing jobs!

Damn. The cynical pulse of reality.

This will make sure that they will “learn” from it, build their own slightly modified version and be locked into the gargantuan costs of the program for the next 30 years, making no real progress in space.