On Sunday, May 4, 2014 8:50:39 PM UTC-7, RichA wrote:
Even if that means abandoning space exploration and hitching up the to global warming bandwagon. The closure of the shuttle program meant an inevitable loss of myriad jobs and money. Since they twiddled their thumbs and didn't work at it a new vehicle is at least a decade away, they needed desperately to shore up "the company" so they looked around for a new avenue from which to justify their existence. What field was being flooded with money that they could go into? Global warming. "Earth observation" to facilitate a place for themselves in that lucrative field.

Apparently our NASA can't afford to tell us the whole truth. As long as our NASA isn't working for us (the American Republic and greater good of our planet), they simply can't be trusted to always do the right thing.