The Space Shuttle Atlantis has lifted off and is headed into space on the last ever shuttle mission. After 30 years of service the program is at an end. This means that the US will not have a manned program for a while, though we will send people up via the Russian program.

Having heard some commentators complain about the ‘waste of money’ that NASA is I feel compelled to point out that the entire NASA budget is roughly 0.4% of the budget (in other words for ever dollar we spend less than half a penny goes to the Space Program).

Then again what has the space program brought us… well besides cell phones, satellites, microwaves, computers, GPS, cordless tools and phones…. (and a few thousand other things)