Spinoffs

In response to "Consider an example: One space shuttle flight equates to
supporting 5,000
Ph.D. students throughout their entire Ph.D. programs. Five thousand Ph.D.
theses equates to a heck of a lot of research on potatoes! !
[Assumptions: 5 year Ph.D. program, $20,000/yr, $500 million shuttle
flight. --- if you don't like those assumptions, adjust them as you wish,
for it will still give you a big number]", I would offer the following:
We have every year already more than 5,000 people in Ph. D. programs but
never have we had an increase in potato production by 40 %. I expect the
extra potatoes would more than pay for the shuttle flights, and certainly
the people who could grow then to keep their families alive would appreciate
it. My point was that biology has not been done as "mission oriented
projects", and that change is just starting to produce results, which may
effect changes in biology which would perhaps be as important as starting
agriculture was some ~ 10 k + years ago.
And in response to the other proposals, if they are worthy, go get the
money from investors. If they won't fund them, why should the tax payers?
Don't forget Ronald Reagan advocated the ISS!
Jay S. Huebner at jhuebn@... (an original L-5 Society member)