The economy is not a zero-sum game. I would assume most of the cost of this recovery went to pay labor or procure equipment (whose main cost is also labor, or e

The economy is not a zero-sum game. I would assume most of the cost of this recovery went to pay labor or procure equipment (whose main cost is also labor, or equipment cost... this is a recursion). That labor cost goes back into the economy, where a portion of that eventually goes to many good causes through taxes or individual charitable donations. The energy (fossil fuel) used to power the ships & equipment is possibly the only cost of this expedition that is used up and gone forever.