Hot take: there is nothing a human can do on the surface of a planet or moon that warrants the absurd weight required to send a human there, keep them alive and bring them back.
I completely agree, with one exception: Inspiring other humans.
Example: Chang’e 6 was a successful mission from a technological and scientific perspective, but I feel like the general public didn’t care that much. But when China land their first taikonaut on the lunar surface (something the US did over fifty years ago), I bet the general public will care a lot more.
The opposite. I love crewed missions. Not a fan of underfunded NASA. Not a fan of wealth transfer to billionaires. Not a fan of cool science missions that could happen in my lifetime getting delayed decades.
Not a fan of crewed missions?
Hot take: there is nothing a human can do on the surface of a planet or moon that warrants the absurd weight required to send a human there, keep them alive and bring them back.
I completely agree, with one exception: Inspiring other humans.
Example: Chang’e 6 was a successful mission from a technological and scientific perspective, but I feel like the general public didn’t care that much. But when China land their first taikonaut on the lunar surface (something the US did over fifty years ago), I bet the general public will care a lot more.
The opposite. I love crewed missions. Not a fan of underfunded NASA. Not a fan of wealth transfer to billionaires. Not a fan of cool science missions that could happen in my lifetime getting delayed decades.