That R&D money to private space companies has lead to the biggest advances in sp...

creer · 2025-12-09T03:57:45 1765252665

And for very small amounts too (compared to the whole mess). Fantastic return (on that little bit, out of the whole mess). Same for medical research.

Hammershaft · 2025-12-09T13:48:37 1765288117

Yeah, estimates of returns on public science generally are dramatic.

ratelimitsteve · 2025-12-09T14:50:45 1765291845

that's great, but it's not an unqualified Good Thing(tm) when we're putting it up against meeting basic needs for people today. We managed to have amazing gains in technology and a functioning state that can care for its citizens in the 60s. Also, this doesn't imply that 3 publicly-funded privately-owned space programs are better than 1 publicly-funded, publicly-owned space program, only that research is good (which was never the issue at hand).

Hammershaft · 2025-12-10T04:03:57 1765339437

We had significantly less welfare in the 60s. We also had more poverty per capita in the 60s but living standards were rising as a result of technological improvements. Clearly a private space company (spaceX) has dramatically outperformed our public space company at advancing technology, despite being a scrappy startup with a fraction of the funding 20 years ago.