How long have we been working on AI and improving robots? And yet they still can't even match, much less beat, humans at almost anything. Boston Dynamics gives some hope, but AI is still far behind. I don't have any confidence that investing in robotics and AI will yield results any faster than investing in life support, colonization, and human space travel technology. And let's not forget that *inspiration* is also a big part of getting people to support and invest in space travel of any kind. Having humans in the equation is far more inspiring than robots.
As for the NASA issue, well I could rant on for ages about what's gone wrong there, but I'll keep it short. NASA's problems are political, not organizational, technical, or functional. Congress and various presidents have all but forced NASA to be ineffectual and make bad choices through various budget decisions, mandates, no-or-minimal-bid contracts, and more. Remove those handcuffs and NASA would be great again.
And commercial space flight, well the only 2 non-military commercial space companies that have had any success are founded and funded by billionaire entrepreneurs with a personal investment and interest in space travel. These companies are not being created and operated on purely commercial terms, the money just isn't there yet. These companies exist because smart, wealthy people recognize the value of space travel, not just in economic terms, but in social, psychological, and philosophical terms. If nothing else they are inspired by what's out there, and that's what Wanderers does, and it's part of the role that NASA could play, if it had budget and freedom to make decisions and act on them long-term without redirection and meddling.
- Oshyan