IIRC, after the initial embarrassing failures to get a satellite aloft, Ike (or someone) turned to military launch vehicles to get the job done as they had a good track record. I think that's when V. Van Braun came on. Then some years later, he and crew were upset about NASA being divorced from its military ties. I think.

I would like to see robotic missions from here on out. Scrap 90% of military and use the savings for robotic missions. Can you imagine having successful rovers on some of the moons of Saturn? Or a telescope on the moon?

There's no point in sending people into space. Have you seen the footage of people just returned from the space station being carried out on stretchers?

Space is not good for people. It kills them, slowly.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K