I think it is absolutelly ok to invest into research and exploration. At least it is better than all farming or social subsidies (like it is done here in Europe). My intention was not to criticize NASA, but to find out what exactly costs that much money to maintain the mission. Even if they have 100 scientists which get 150 000 $ a year and another 100 supporting staff for 50 000$ it would make just 20 mil a year! And I thought the scientific data itself(photos, etc) is analyzed at the universities months/years later and is not funded from nasa budget.