[oh8eleven]

It should have been scrapped as soon as it went over budget
It should never have seen the light of day to begin with.
What did the taxpayers get for all the billions and billions spent on the Hubbel telescope, "International" Space Station or the biggest boondoggle - the Space Shuttle?
Nada, nil, nothing.

[pepsi_junkie]

What did the taxpayers get for all the billions and billions spent on the Hubbel telescope, "International" Space Station or the biggest boondoggle - the Space Shuttle?

Personally I think that a space telescope sounds like a perfect venture for a bunch of academic institutions to crack open their giant multi-billion dollar endowments and fund together. They would then share exclusive access to the telescope for use in their own research. Better than taxpayers funding all their research.

[Telepathic Intruder]

I think the Hubble telescope was a great success. I’m not a fan of the ISS or shuttle programs, however. The ISS is parked in a useless orbit, and is only good as a micro gravity laboratory. It doesn’t even need windows, although it has one or two. The shuttle was merely a space truck for hauling things back and forth from the ISS, or an occasional communications satellite. It had nothing to do with space exploration, like the previous programs.