Taking out the trash

I am a bit dismayed at NASA. They allowed trash to be dumped into orbit, and wrote it off by saying it will fall back to earth and burn up. http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/07/23/space.station.ap/index.html
This is not a good example for us to see or read about. Why wasn't the ammonia tank stowed on board the shuttle along with the camera mount for disposal on earth? They claim these items are not a navigation hazard, and even better, they think "most" of the tank will burn up during reentry, and the remnants will hopefully hit open ocean. Personally, I think it would be wonderfully ironic if a remnant chunk hit the responsible NASA Official's house and left a smoking hole the size of a Volkswagen.

This reminds me of another issue: disposal of nuclear waste. I have often thought that one of the best long term solutions for this problem is not storing it in a gigantic deep tunnel that needs constant monitoring to make sure the stuff isn't leaking. Rather, we should consider sending it into space via unmanned rockets, to fall into the sun. This method is cheaper by several orders of magnitude than the untold zillions we and other countries have already spent on other less effective schemes. Further, there is no lingering radioactivity. The stuff would just vaporize and we wouldn't have to worry about it again. And it keeps aerospace companies in business, but much more importantly, gives NASA a real mission. Their current course seems to lack any long range goals except to provide an alternative to a fireworks display when they launch.

I believe the exploration of space is important. I also believe NASA needs leadership from a non-purely scientific source. NASA needs a real purpose to exist. If we are unwilling to give it a purpose, then dissolve NASA and let private companies explore the necessity and profitability of space exloration.