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Originally Posted by Lachean  I do not believe the government has much of an incentive for space exploration. Other than minor achievements and the inevitable man on Mars, unless any other nation gets serious about space exploration, or this planet runs low on a nearby resource (fissionable materials) I just don't see the return on the investment. |
The return on the investment is the economic growth it can spawn. We've seen that in the past with the US massive military expenditures and their impact, via spin-offs technologies to the civilian sector, on economic growth.
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The people just don't care anymore, so there's no political will.
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It would perhaps be more easy to justify than military R&D, particularly for a lagging supra-national organisation such as the EU.
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However, there are commercial incentives for putting people into space, creating and miniaturizing new tech, and inevitably exploration/colonization.
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Certainly true. However, the private sector has typically provided insufficient investment. Remember that I'm interested in the extent that space exploration can replace the role of the military sector in making up the shortfall.
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Enough of an answer for you?
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Not really! I'm more interested in the extent that spin-off technologies would develop.