It's a lot more positive,useful and productive than the money wasted on nuculer missiles and other killing machines and crap loads of other government waste and i think they do a little bit more than just study stars.You never know maybe the cure for cancer and who knows what will be found else where than earth one day. : )

nope. not a waste of money. NASA gets less than 1% of the national budget (compared to billions more for warfare). you like water purification systems? thank NASA for developing that technology (which is now used extensively in 3rd world countries where water quality is poor). you like solar energy? again - NASA has done extensive development in this area. what about forecasting weather? again - large leaps in that field thanks to NASA. kidney dialysis (which saves lives every day) was developed off of NASA research. you like taking your temperature in your ear rather than your rear? thank NASA's infrared tech (developed for studying stars). and solving world hunger? NASA pioneered freeze dried food, which makes it last a lot longer for storing and shipping purposes. invisible braces, laser eye surgery, MRIs and CAT scans - all due to or improved on by NASA research. i could go on. some fun applications, thanks to research and technology pioneered by NASA: satellite TV, google earth, virtual reality, etc. NASA does so much more than study stars - almost every experiment performed in space has a direct application to life here on earth - from physics to medicine. here's a link to many products that would not exist if not for NASA research. http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html