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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[–] 1 point 16 hours ago

It doesn't have to be more rare than Earth metals, supply just has to be more limited than demand. Given the rising use cases, and the global population, it's only a question of time until economic viability. Especially in cases, like now, where supply is constrained by political tensions. It becomes a national security issue to not have a sovereign supply. Lunar mining is cheaper than a resource war.

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