this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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Is it really necessary to send humans to those places just to get the knock-on benefits? Couldn't we do those things directly, without going there?

It seems to me that, today, those who have the money to spend on these endeavors would only do so if there were perceived short-term benefits to themselves. That means they plan to exploit the resources, or increase their own power somehow.

I know the good engineers that make this happen are doing it for the challenge and in the pursuit of knowledge, and I know that's why we poors support it, but that doesn't "pay the bills." What is the motivation behind the money? Why are they really doing this?

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[–] Furbag@pawb.social 4 points 4 days ago

The only reason a Lunar base/habitat would be needed aside from just a scientific endeavor (no expectation of return on investment, just for the sake of knowledge itself) is that the escape velocity is much lower than on earth so it wouldn't require as much energy to launch rockets and satellites. A shipyard on the moon could be a realistic case scenario.

But, we aren't producing spacecraft at a scale where it would be economical to do so yet, and there's still the logistical issue of getting the fuel to the moon to perform launches without some kind of space elevator - impractical and hazardous.

Will we get to that point someday? Most likely, but right now any attempt at a permanent moon habitat is doomed to fail. Case in point, if governments are struggling to provide the ISS with necessary parts and technicians to keep it operational, doing the same thing but farther away is just not going to work.

I hope I live long enough to see it, but I'm not holding out hope that it will happen in my lifetime.