Why space exploration is necessary

Phil over at Bad Astronomy Blog has a good post explaining just why space exploration is so important, in case anyone has forgotten exactly what we gain from it.

He also recently put NASA's budget into perspective: (emphasis mine)

A lot of people think NASA is a waste of time and money, and maybe this is why; they have a grossly overinflated idea of how much NASA spends. When NASA loses a $150 million probe, that’s a lot of real money, but hardly a drop in the bucket compared to what we spend as a nation (and remember, we spend $11 million per hour in Iraq).

So if you know anyone, including yourself, who honestly thinks NASA is a waste of money, go smack them upside the head for me.