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Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz
Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that it will be possible in the next 50 years, I think that's a real possibility. I don't however think it will be feasible, or desirable.
For example, right now it would be entirely possible for us to go to Mars, or build a semi permanent base on the moon, but it's just not happening. We've been able to go to the moon for more than 40 years and how often are we flying there right now?
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you can build a base sure, but no one will be able to live there economically since you would need to bring all of your supplies with you from earth. and shipping even the basics like food and water would end up costing billions for any moon or Mars base. that's why you need an efficient way to transport goods and materials from the Earth to space, like a space elevator
what will and is currently driving the current moon landing programs of the US, Russia, and China though is there will be actual money to be made there now. throw a few thousand solar panels on the side of the moon that always faces the sun, send the energy collected back to Earth via microwaves, and you have the potential for a lot of cheap energy after the initial investment. or the fact that the moon's soil is rich in helium-3, which is very rare on Earth and required for nuclear fusion (which is just starting to develop)
we haven't gone back to the moon since the 60's because there was no point, it is extremely expensive to send humans there and until recently there were no incentives to spend that kind of money. now that we know what's up there and are starting to develop the technology to harness those resources, there will be a massive push in the next decade to get a permanent human presence there