How could anyone attribute such lame cons to Artemis?
1. This money is not being spent wastefully, it is being invested wisely. It will fund new technologies and advances (including on climate change) that will benefit everyone. It will fund the salaries of millions of workers and contractors who will then pay taxes and spend/invest/contribute what is not taxed. It will drive the interest and education of our next generation of scientists, engineers, tradespeople, and many others. This sort of investment will pay far larger dividends than any comparable amount just given away with no expectations of any sort of payback.
2. If the masses are not enthused so what! They are responsible for their own entertainment at their own expense, not the governments. Just like the masses of 1495 bored with stories of a new world and questioning why we would want to go back there after being there once. our masses today are too myopic to see the destiny of mankind playing out as history is made. If they can't appreciate that then leave them to watching overpaid athletes playing meaningless games and ginned up drama "reality" programs. Their boredom and short attention spans can be dismissed.
3. Robotic exploration is only a precursor to fully manned efforts. While our drone/robotic technology is amazing, nothing can replace a person experiencing and interacting with the efforts/task/environment in real time. As a race we are destined to explore in person, not virtually. And the adventure of in person exploration will be the best way to defeat the boredom that virtual exploration, watched on a screen like any other media offering, will engender.
How could anyone attribute such lame cons to Artemis?
1. This money is not being spent wastefully, it is being invested wisely. It will fund new technologies and advances (including on climate change) that will benefit everyone. It will fund the salaries of millions of workers and contractors who will then pay taxes and spend/invest/contribute what is not taxed. It will drive the interest and education of our next generation of scientists, engineers, tradespeople, and many others. This sort of investment will pay far larger dividends than any comparable amount just given away with no expectations of any sort of payback.
2. If the masses are not enthused so what! They are responsible for their own entertainment at their own expense, not the governments. Just like the masses of 1495 bored with stories of a new world and questioning why we would want to go back there after being there once. our masses today are too myopic to see the destiny of mankind playing out as history is made. If they can't appreciate that then leave them to watching overpaid athletes playing meaningless games and ginned up drama "reality" programs. Their boredom and short attention spans can be dismissed.
3. Robotic exploration is only a precursor to fully manned efforts. While our drone/robotic technology is amazing, nothing can replace a person experiencing and interacting with the efforts/task/environment in real time. As a race we are destined to explore in person, not virtually. And the adventure of in person exploration will be the best way to defeat the boredom that virtual exploration, watched on a screen like any other media offering, will engender.