NextGen budget total from 2007-2022 was 14B, about 1B/year, not 17B last year. See the GAO report. https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gao.gov%2Fassets%2Fd24...

to clarify, I mean signs of intelligent life, of course. And the cities are a mix of brown and gray.

Ship tracks and aircraft contrails are the two most obvious signs of life on the planet when looking down from the ISS during daylight. Even the largest cities just look like brown smudges. At night, of course, city lights are there.

HVAC uses engine bleed air but that is turned off during takeoff to increase engine power.

correct no internet on board and this is just an upgrade to the existing setup