Yes, the Apollo projects produced huge amounts of unexpected technology, that was then used by the US to this day. “This particular case” is exactly the same thing. Yes, it is producing great technology. Why the fuck are we giving it away? Because since 1967 the US gov’t has slowly become wholly owned by big business, and since neoliberalism came to the White House in 1980 the gov’t (i.e. “We the People”) was cast as a separate entity — and a bad one — so that corrupt politicians could privatize our public assets. Like this technology.

If nothing else, we should be licensing our research, or demanding a cut of any revenue just like any other venture capitalist.