I am amused by the space exploration program proposed by the Bush administration. This new space program will not be like the one started by John F. Kennedy in the 1960s. Back then, hundreds of thousands of jobs were created by NASA contracts in all the spin-off industries. Based on this administration’s track record, the American economy will see very little benefit in jobs.
Why? Because the large amount of required engineering work will most likely be farmed out to Russia. The new electronic and computer hardware will be manufactured in China. And the software development for these projects will probably be outsourced to India. And it will be lucky American taxpayers without corporate tax credits who will pay all the bills.
One note of optimism for the taxpayers: The day will come when you will see Taco Bell and Nike logos on the sides of rovers and spacecraft.
