Well, I put the bit about defunding Nasa in there because the government is always talking about defunding them, but I agree with you, it's a stupid move if gov't ever does so--the race to the moon was a real stimulus to this country and we developed plenty of new technology during our race to explore space.
Progressio, the star. I took the liberty to name it myself, after the progressive movement of which I am so fond.
Secretly, Spock played blackjack, in a perfect replica of the Bellagio High Limit room created on the holodeck. Marilyn Monroe was his dealer, and Rodney Dangerfield, his pit boss, as he defied the simulated eye in the sky to catch him in the act, as he plied his 10-level counting system, taught him by his father in a mind meld before he left home. Reportedly, he amassed a veritable fortune in holobucks. Unfortunately, they were not spendable anywhere except on the holodeck.
PS--he could also hole-card through tiny light sensitive fibers in his finger tips that relayed "filmed" information through his neural network to his Vulcan brain giving him an added advantage over his counting advantage of near 35%. I have heard stories he could play blackjack at a rate of 150 hands an hour, keeping perfect count with his 10-level system, and play three games of 3D-chess and a dozen hands of online poker, all simultaneously, moving from one game to the other in rapid succession. Awesome!!!
Data, eat your heart out!!!