Two bits of space news that caught the interest of your pie maker:
(1) One-way space exploration
The age in which exploration was the province of indispensable national heroes is over. The goals of developed nations appear to be limited to providing physical security for their citizens and economic stability for their investors, and the resulting safety culture in government drives up the cost of almost everything it does.
If, instead, we view space exploration the same way we viewed Western expansion or seafaring pre-1900, the costs fall dramatically. The number of deaths will certainly climb, but danger has not discouraged a booming trade in Everest expeditions or recruiting for the All Volunteer Force. With disgruntled youth movements sweeping the Middle East and Europe, and The Week and NYT publishing articles about how it could happen in the US, we're reminded that humanity needs more to live for than retirement.
(2) Space Solar Power
Space infrastructure to support colonization would have a lot of terrestrial benefits as well.
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