Space Shuttle

Today was the final launch of a space shuttle.  Most people, after thirty years, don't seem to pay much attention anymore.  And when they do a great number of them think it a waste of money.  Billions and billions of dollars spent.  Lives lost.  Was it worth it?  Most of the time I think it was.  But only if we don't stop now.  We have gained incredible advances from the shuttle program.  Some of which I am using that enable me to share this blog.  We have shown that people with diverse background of all religions, ethnicities and culture backgrounds and beliefs can live and work together for long periods of time.  If only the rest of us could do that the world would be a more peaceful place.
I think we have to keep exploring though.  We are living on a planet that is dying due to overuse and overcrowding.  And unless we find ways to solve those problems it will die.  And the human race with it.  I believe there is a balance between spending money on our fuure, the future of mankind, and taking care of the people that are here now.  And that seems to be the hard part.  How can you justify spending that kind of money on space exploration when so many people on earth are hungry and in need of the most basic kinds of medical care.  Not through there actions or any fault of there own in most cases.  So in the short term think how much the money could do NOW for this world.  But in the long term without solutions those problems will become worse.  More people hungry.  More people dying due to overcrowding and overuse of our limited resources on this earth.   I pray for those that must find the balance between the two.  I believe the men and women of NASA truly believe that what they are doing will benifit ALL off humanity.  I believe they have a commitment to what they do unlike most people in there jobs today.  I have watched the shuttle program and the ISS (Internation Space Station) program closely over that last year.  I wanted to understand how this country could spend that kind of money.  And I have to say I wish that I could feel the kind of passion that these people feel for what they do.  God Bless for there work and lets all pray for a safe and successful final mission of the space shuttle program.