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The classic answer would be http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html

• dekhn 10y ago
  I'm fine with exploring space. My question is (given the context of how expensive it was to produce lettuce in space), why send humans?
  • Anchor 10y ago
    A less of a classic but a really good discussion http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/08/how-and-why-spacex-will-colonize-mars.html http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/08/how-and-why-spacex-will-coloni... (the whole Musk series is worth the read too).
    • dekhn 10y ago
      If your goal is to address the existential dilemma posed by an unkind universe, by spreading to humanity to the stars, you'll need to divert the entire economic output of the world to the problem for at least 100 years to produce off-earth self-sustaining infrastructure. That's a big difference from sending a box of lettuce up into space so that astronauts don't have to eat paste.