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?
The Moon has the benefit of possibly being a refuelling or assembly spot for spaceships. Due to the lack of atmosphere and low gravitational pull, it may be more feasible to launch larger and heavier spacecraft from there (an alternative is assembly while in orbit).
Also for the clout of being an interplanetary species.