>>127357991. Putting all our eggs in one basket is a bad idea. Sapient creatures like Humans, as far as we know so far, are a rare feature of the universe, and thus the continuous survival of our species is a worthy endeavor.
Thus colonizing other planets is an imperative, in case a rogue asteroid or a gamma ray burst happens to wipe all life on Earth. By spreading across the Galaxy we are increasing our odds of survival.
2. More money poured into space research would stimulate the development of new technologies that would improve life on Earth as well, whereas spending that money on gibs and pointless consumption is ultimately a dead end for our species.
3. The settling of the frontier, that is, the mass migration of Europeans to New World countries such as America, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, etc. helped to ease overpopulation and poverty in Europe itself and stimulated economic growth across the world. Settling the new frontier of space would have similar effects on Earth, reducing tensions from overpopulation and pollution.
