It’s important for us to remember that every budget shortfall is linked to Bush’s never-ending money pit, The War on Terror. For comparison, NASA’s 18 billion dollar budget is roughly equivalent to:

• 1/3 of the Department of Defense’s “Intelligence” budget—100% of which is classified
• 1/2 of the allotment for personnel in the Air Force
• somewhat less than the Research and Development budget for the Navy
• a bit less than 1/2 of The Army’s budget for shiny new war toys (AKA, “Procurement”)

These figures are rounded wildly, to see for yourself how more than half the budget is spent on defense, go to Death and Taxes for a visual of the US tax dollars at work.

lookhigh:

E.T., Phone Collect

If aliens come calling, we might not hear them.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that the SETI Institute — the one made famous by the movie Contact — has put its program to find alien life on hold. In an April 22 letter SETI sent to significant supporters, Tom Pierson, SETI’s CEO announced that beginning this week, the Allen Telescope Array “has been placed into hibernation due to funding shortfalls for operations of the Hat Creek Radio Observatory (HCRO) where the ATA is located.”

(via NPR)

(via nprfreshair)