They definitely were getting their budgets cut left and right for a while, since not enough people cared about NASA and going to space. So much so that we couldn’t replace the shuttle program and were backing everything on Russian rockets.

Since Space X and others have been sending more people to space, NASAs funding has only went up. Because public interest is back and wants us to do it here.

So yeah, they had to stop sending up rockets cause public interest wasnt high enough.

Also, any rocket going up provides data. So yeah, launching a rocket almost to space even 1 times provides a lot of feedback. You’re talking like almost to space is the goal. The goal will keep getting pushed further and further until its not just scientists living in space. And then when that happens the goal will get pushed even further.

Plus, how many more people that wouldn’t be interested in space at all are going to at least be curious cause their favorite celebrity went? How many Katy Perry fans got to see their first rocket launch cause she went almost to space?

You’re just thinking so small minded