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Originally posted by Illustronic
Name one private industry, or one not on the market, that would launch billion dollar space probes for zero gain other than technology research and development, and pure space exploration. I can just see the CFO march into the board of directors meeting or the shareholder's meeting to announce no dividends will be paid this year due to a new space probe, in fact we want you to open your wallets and donate more!
I don't see private industry ever doing a fraction of the space exploration that NASA has already done.
They will launch satellites to LEO for a price that is calculated to net them a profit, and cannot convince the money holders of anything more than that.
If you want to drain the new money in the middle east, get them involved in a space program, they will go broke as their oil reserves run dry, considering these massive cities they are constructed largely uninhabited. I hope I live another 30 years to see what really goes down.