We should waste less funds on the not-yet-practical and shift all NASA funding to what we can practically do now, and practically do sooner; not what we won’t need to know for hundreds of years.
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It would be very easy to construct a counter-argument, that learning what we can about our galactic neighborhood is more important than scratching around on local solar system rocks.
I want us to do both those things but my only point is you are so sure one is a waste of money and I think if I was at my computer and not on my phone right now I could easily list reasons why space telescopes are the best things to spend our space dollars on at this time in our history.
I am not opposed to space telescopes in general. I have even proposed that our moon would make a good space telescope-base location.
As far as giving priority with any government funded space telescopes, in a specific program of searching for “earth-like” “exoplanets”, I see that as the lowest of the low of space telescope priorities at this time.
When would such knowledge have practical import to our own human-exploration space program? When we have “conquered” our own solar system and are technologically prepared to go, humanly, beyond it.
How many generations do we have before that is a reality?
More than the current fantasy predictions think.
By now, according to predictions just fifty years ago, we were already supposed to be out exploring our solar system, with colonies on the moon and mars, everyone driving “air cars”, ect., ect.
No. I am satisfied that now is not the time for making search’s for “earth like” planets a priority. Folks can do it. I just don’t think tax dollars should have anything to do with it.