Sure it can. When Apollo was canceled in 1970 our space program slowed to a crawl.
Where are all private sector Moon bases? Mars exploration?
Not applicable as NASA was still going.
So the public depended on the government for ALL space exploration.
If NASA had died?
The public would have realized that the only way to explore space was the private sector.
And - like now - lots of companies would have sprung up in their place.
It would have cost taxpayers NOTHING.
And I bet you Americans would be on the Moon now, headed for Mars and a lot less astronauts would have died than thanks to that ridiculous, fucking GO FEVER that infected NASA and got 17 of them killed.
Hell, during the Columbia disaster?
The head honcho of the mission - Linda Ham - basically just wrote off the crew.
She thought they might return safely.
But she knew the shuttle could be doomed.
And she did not even try to see a) how bad the damage was - which she could have done - but refused to authorize it.
Or b) even consider a rescue mission as it would effect the schedule too much.
She just treated the astronauts as test pilots who knew the dangers and were expendable (paraphrased).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Ham
Most people think that government-run organizations are safer.
That is 100% FALSE.
Bureaucrats have guaranteed jobs.
It is almost impossible to fire one.
And the government is under no pressure over safety as it is the only game in town.
But private, for-profit companies MUST be VERY safe.
Because if a disaster happens?
That could be the end of the company and everyone's jobs.
So they HAVE to be safe.
Those 17 astronauts ALL died due to GO FEVER.
That NEVER would have happened in the private sector.