"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." (JFK) [1]
Probably my favorite quote of all time. Those were the times.
Probably my favorite quote of all time. Those were the times.
I think going to the moon was a good choice.
Don't waste tax payer money sending humans to the moon for no scientific purpose - leave that to the machines. Hard things can be wasteful too, just because something is hard doesn't make it valuable.
http://thevietnamwar.info/how-much-vietnam-war-cost/ Vietnam War cost more than putting a man on the moon
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-war-anniversary-idUSB...
Imagine how $2 trillion of R&D would have changed the world.
Because science and engineering benefited from the project. we are better off for having done the project. However, we could've gained the same knowledge in other ways, for less money.
So, if it costs of $25 billion to put a man on the moon, and the same knowledge could have acquired for $15 billion, you think the effort was wasted?
For what it's worth the moon landing had a profound effect on me. I was 6 during Apollo 17 and still remember looking up at the moon and knowing there were people on it at that moment.
Living around the time of Apollo 17 must have been very interesting. I was born a few years later, with no more manned trips to the moon. In line with your point, I guess I had to find other things to motivate me!
The president was trying to exhort his people to join in a difficult endeavour for it's own sake.