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He’s conflating all of the resources spent with the outcomes involved. Need to see the graph?

Now imagine if those same resources were spent on fusion propulsion…

Whataboutism.

I don't think he's confusing anything. He's saying the only reason those funds were allocated were because:

1) The government wanted to do it (military reasons)

and

2) The public found it exciting (we're putting a man on the moon)

Without either of those, this wouldn't have happened.

Those two “reasons” are no where in the same universe. Take away the Soviets and it wouldn’t have happened. See also the last 60 years.

I said both were important... The military push already exists today. See SpaceX...