I would certainly go if it were near me. Maybe they should consider a couple bucks admission.
200k of the expense is likely the inane security checkpoint to enter the event. Can’t have a lawfully armed citizen displace a security guard. Last time I was there, they wanted an elderly science fiction writer to get out of her wheelchair so they could search it for weapons, while two teams of explosives trained dog handlers prowled around her.
As for selling tickets, JPL refuses since the public paid for the center on the first place. Just rings of an Obama declared penalty to the scum who imagines that their money doesn’t all belong to the government.