The narrative of space colonization just doesn’t sell to me.
For me one of the most important parts of human spaceflight is working as a constant reminder of how hard it is to keep humans alive outside of Earth. It should work to underscore that we only have one Earth and there is no realistic “plan B”. Without human spaceflight we could get complacent and just think we can find another home for humanity. When we see live on video feeds how much it takes for just 4 humans for a week or so to live off Earth and close to the moon the illusion of an alternative to Earth shatters.
When the challenger exploded and the space age ended, so too should have been dispelled the mirage that space travel would mean infinite resources for capitalism to exploit.
For me one of the most important parts of human spaceflight is working as a constant reminder of how hard it is to keep humans alive outside of Earth. It should work to underscore that we only have one Earth and there is no realistic “plan B”. Without human spaceflight we could get complacent and just think we can find another home for humanity. When we see live on video feeds how much it takes for just 4 humans for a week or so to live off Earth and close to the moon the illusion of an alternative to Earth shatters.
When the challenger exploded and the space age ended, so too should have been dispelled the mirage that space travel would mean infinite resources for capitalism to exploit.
Shuttle was always a Low Earth Orbit craft. It was never designed or capable of even a flight to the moon, much less another planet.
That is potentially still alive with robotic missions for orbital asteroid capture and mining.
Our moon is very local and worth discovering more about.