LogFAQs > #966563716

Much, much more. If we wait for humanity to get its shit together, itll be too late and well have too few resources to get out there, basically dooming humanity as sooner or later giant meteor is going to hit Earth, if any of the other thousands of doomsday scenarios doesnt wipe humanity out first. Spreading out into space and creating new colonies at the very least increases humanitys chances of survival.

There should always be government projects and agencies aimed at this, but private companies as well, as those tend to take more risks and are more innovative. Although that is a trial-and-error process, it is also more likely to yield results (like SpaceX having successfully developed reusable rockets).

But yeah, I agree that 'joy ride missions' are a waste of time and resources. Oh whoop-tee-doo, you got to spend almost 15 minutes at the lowest possible altitude that can be considered Low Earth Orbit and the sky still looks mostly blue.
Until sustainable off-world colonies are a thing, there should always be a scientific/productive aspect to every space project.