this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
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askchapo

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I hate Artemis II. Have I gone off the deep end? (hexbear.net)
submitted 1 month ago by mr_sunburn@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
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I see this moon launch as an exorbitantly wasteful, nationalist project. No money for healthcare and housing, but plenty of money to boldly go where man has gone several many times before.

When I bring this up with liberal friends and family, they give me a sort of incredulous look and talk about how wonderful and scientific and non-political it is. I don't mind being the "you've gone too far left" guy, but you talk to the same people about military spending and they're right on board.

Is someone here able to diagnose my crankiness and explain why this is actually a good use of resources? (Will also accept echo-chamber validation and ways to use this to increase class consciousness, if offered.)

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[–] quarrk@hexbear.net 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The money isn’t exactly wasted if it pays workers who then immediately spend it on means of subsistence. From that macro point of view, the money is circulated not destroyed. (Anyway, this money is printed. It is not really scarce in the normal sense.)

Of course some (large?) fraction also lines the pockets of the aerospace/defense contractors, and that of the bank which finances the worker’s mortgage. That’s just capitalism being capitalism.

Your complaint reduces to what we already know: the priorities of the US government are fucked. But that is true with or without a space program. Exploration of space isn’t the thing holding back the social welfare.