I am writing in response to the letter on Feb. 27 by Dave Lambert and Matthew Stark. In your letter you stated I equate NASA with bombs. Along with other misinterpretations you questioned my ability to teach. I'll take that as a compliment because we think so differently. Unfortunately, the fact remains that we spend too much money on NASA and it does not live up to its reputation.

Your quest to seek the unknown is not needed in a deteriorating nation. You are obviously interested in yourselves and not the good of the nation. Why would you agree to spend trillions of dollars to explore volcanoes on Venus when we have millions of unemployed, cancer victims and improperly educated youth. The money could be better spent.

The future is not in Star Trek land, it is on Earth. NASA had some important ecological accomplishments, but not worthy of the financial burden it has placed on our society. Concentrate on what you can do down here before you fly away to the unknown.

It's obvious you don't concern yourself with current social issues. What does NASA do for a starving baby? According to you, NASA has been instrumental in helping us predict the weather for the funeral four days in advance. We cannot cure the problems in America by keeping our heads elsewhere.

We must stop using NASA as a symbol of American excellence and virility. We simply cannot afford it. You claim NASA gives us information about the environment. The money we save from cutting NASA we could spend it on educating our youth on how to save the environment.

Let's leave the unknown alone for now. I am sure someday we will dominate it and abuse it like our own environment. For now, let's push the American way, not the Milky Way.