Much, much more. Building a working space elevator, for example, would pay huge dividends on the upfront money
How on earth can you claim this with any confidence?
Because launching with fuel rockets is extremely expensive, and virtually all scientific papers I've seen say this.
Stuff like this is part of the problem with leaving science funding in the hands of politicians. Large sums of cash are wasted tilting at windmills because these people have no concept of what is actually feasible.
Not sure what to make of this. The "science" side says build the elevator, but the politicians will never allow it with federal money because of the scary price tag. The first space elevator ever built will almost certainly be done by China or a private company.
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