Short-sighted people look at the glory and excitement of missions to other places, but totally ignore the burden the U.S. Taxpayer bears. What do they get out of their $Billions? Pictures and pebbles. Oh sure, a couple of people will be able to claim that they walked some place new, but just like those who went to the Moon, no lasting value will have been created.
I come from a manufacturing background, so I have a little different perspective on what we should be doing in space. I advocate for those things that lower the cost to access space, because if you do that, then you can do a lot more in space. Zubrin pooh poohs the idea of depots in space, but then again his dreams are for one-off missions like Apollo. But if your goal is to stay in space, and stay at the Moon and Mars, then you need to create supply and transportation infrastructures that allow a constant flow of people and material through and to space. If you ignore the cost of this infrastructure, then you’ll never be able to afford to establish and maintain a permanent presence in space.
Why? Because so far space exploration is an investment in the future, but has not provided tangible ROI for the U.S. Taxpayer. No minerals, precious metals or spices have come from space for us to consume, which is what expeditions of the past have usually relied upon to pay for their costs. So far we choose to invest 0.5% of our national budget because we HOPE something of tangible value will eventually be returned. Playing golf on the Moon or Mars is not that ROI, nor is pebbles and pictures or even “knowledge”.
So to me building up our capabilities incrementally is a good idea, because it allows us to build upon each new level of achievement. Commercial cargo should be online by next year, and commercial crew by 2016. Add in fuel depots and suddenly you don’t need a government in order to leave LEO. The trend is clear – lower the costs, and capabilities follow immediately. Ignore costs, and we’ll continue to stay trapped in LEO like we have for the last 40 years.
