Space travel, worth it?

I'll tackle a few of these questions. First off, what have we gained from space exploration? http://techtran.msfc.nasa.gov/at_home.html A good summary on there of all of the benefits of the space program. Including a few things about combatting starvation, polution and much more. Space exploration allows us to better understand our planet, we can view it and it's changes, we can see the damage we've done and develop ways to repair it. If we cut space funds, we would not be able to maintain our telecommunications satellites. Those satellites enable us to bring the suffering of the world to the livingrooms of the average household. They allow us to coordinate rescue efforts, Red Cross missions, and much more. As for the other posters comment about space tourism, for the time being it looks bad but look at the future. These private space programs these tourists are using are behind the future of transportation. Imagine the possibilities for being able to be anywhere in the world in only a few hours versus over a day of traveling. You can bring anything, anywhere, anytime. The possibilities are endless. Instead of focusing on one program like this which has proven itself to benefit many parts of our lives, you should instead focus on governments and their responsibilities to the people they serve. Check the distributions of wealth and food. I've heard it said that there is enough land and resources on this earth that every person can be given enough of each to feed themselves and fuel their own survival AND STILL we will have a lot left over. Redistribution is the word you want to focus on.