"John Beaderstadt"
Seems to me this entire conversation is fueled by the insistence of
some people on considering the national interest to be synonymous with
military purposes.

It may have fueled the conversation back in the late 50s, but Eisenhower
established NASA specifically because he made a judgement that space
flight should be a civilian endeavor.

It's useless to argue or attempt rational
discussion with people who think like that; there's virtually no
difference between them and the conspiracy theorists.

The militarists had solid arguments for a mil-sponsored space program.
We pay them to defend the country. Their ideas lost out.

Personally, I
could never be that paranoid.

Hurray.