Jose wrote:
Moon, Mars and beyond are no different from the frontiers of the
past
Except in the past they didn't have to carry their own atmosphere

But in the past they did have to build their own roads, and they
didn't have power tools. We have more technology now, so we can
accomplish more kinds of exploration. It's no different.

Well, a different different. That pioneer spirit remains, but roadside
repairs or finding an island with fresh water will be a little more
difficult now..


A very large portion of the early conquering of our noble
terrestrial world, was to pad the bank account of the conqueror with
pillaged gold...

... and a large portion of our present exploration is to establish a
presence before others do, and prevent us from ever going there. It's
another form of padding the bank account, where power is currency, and
the outlook is longer term.


If not mistaken, haven't taken the time to verify this, but I believe
there's an international agreement that nobody can lay claim to anything in
outer space, contrary to the good ole days when you could paddle up to some
beach, plant a flag, and claim it for King George - while the native
inhabitants look on in disbelief (just before being enslaved to work in the
gold mine).... So lord knows nobody would have the audacity to breach an
international agreement, set up SAM sites on the moon, etc., right??
))))))))

what we might practically benefit/gain
from the endeavor vs. pure political bull**** and waste.

"political bull****" is just politics you don't agree with, no?


Absolutely! And that covers about 95% of it lately............