Space Station Cheaper at Twice the Price

“A Giant Leap, but a Shaky Foothold” (May 16), on the International Space Station, points out its high costs ($53 billion) and diminishing functionality. But let’s put it in perspective. We have spent, so far, $150 billion for the war in Iraq, with billions more already requested. A space station creates well-paid domestic jobs, innovative technologies, new knowledge and a sense of optimism about our future. The war in Iraq has sent more than 100,000 U.S. soldiers overseas to try to repair what we bombed while dodging rocket-propelled grenades, has pushed oil prices to over $40 a barrel, sacrificed much of the international goodwill toward the U.S. and undermined our beliefs about America. Which would the public choose after a full debate?

Steven P. Wallace

Culver City