Because it's there.

To boldly go where no man has gone before.

'Lies to the masses as are like fly's to mollasses...they want more and more and more'

Us Palace fans should be used to pointlessness.

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

This is the new scouting system we have to get round the 'transfer windows' every season.

Well......You never know whos out there

This operation, will make the 'Charge Of The Light Brigade' seem like a simple military exercise.

As myopic as your inwards-looking EUphilia, I see.

Firstly, the asteroid belt has huge volumes of rare-earth metals and volatiles. These are vital for producing (among many other things) catalysts and advanced electronics, and can be extracted to greatly increase access to mineral reserves (without, for example "fvcking up the planet").

Secondly, there is absolutely no reason why we "aren't going to escape to another planet". With respect to longevity of the human race, it is utterly essential we do so. Efficient in-situ resource utilisation is vital to this effort. Again, use of the moon (1/6th of our gravity) and asteroids opens up very viable manufacturing options that don't require us hauling everything up from here. The lunar surface is a rich source of captured Helium-3, providing a long-term fusion-based fuel supply. Even solar power becomes worth it.

Thirdly, no one can possibly anticipate the spin-off technologies and advances that arise from manned spaceflight and the challenges it poses. Need a solution for all that radiation during the Earth-Mars stretch? Maybe that's where your advanced cancer drug comes from. Effects of radiation on the body? Better do more work on bioinformatics to understand genetic mutations from radiation. Suddenly you've identified new triggers for Alzheimer's. Need to develop closed-loop agroponics for that Martian colony? Oh, that can help increase farming yields during famines on Earth. I could go on, and there are thousands of other entirely unthought-of applications.

Finally, to advance human knowledge. I consider that "bettering lives". Gain an insight into how our solar system formed, better understand the planets. Search for life within the Solar System. Search for life outside the Solar System. Understand how life came to be on Earth. Large astronomical facilities unrestricted by the atmosphere of the Earth, to probe the night sky. Fundamental experiments in Physics, to test the very nature of matter and energy.

There is very much a point.

Edited by davenotamonkey (27 Sep 2017 7.39pm)

Hahaha! Brilliant.