Re: NASA Mars mission funding - better spent on paleo?

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

> . . . at the risk of driving some 
> go-there-at-any-cost-damn-the-practical-gains people out there crazy, 
> could some of you describe what the funding for this mission could have 
> accomplished for your field if it had been distributed to projects here? 
> I believe the figure is around $400M (above and beyond the original 
> estimated $325M.)

Four hundred pitiful megabucks? That's how much the Iraq war costs in how 
many weeks?

Really, get your priorities straight. :-)

And never forget: a billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon it 
adds up to real money!