Mark McCaughreanDespite my many concerns & reservations, I can’t deny that this is a very cool image.
See? That’s how they get you 🤷♂️😬
grrl_aex$4B per launch.
$55B project cost so far.
Cassini project total cost: $4B.
Yeeting people anywhere outside earth orbit is a waste of science funds. Space is where robotics is clearly the optimal way to conduct science concerning extraterrestrial bodies, based on any metric.
This, otoh, is just publicly subsidized prep for billionaire "moon base" fantasies. If that sounds absurd, well... it's because billionaires (and *their* gov't) are exactly that these days.