There are a great many things I don’t want my money used for; clearly that could be said of everyone, and it is extremely unlikely that you could find two people anywhere that would reach total agreement. One of the marvels of science is that the ROE may be unknown, but we as a society have decided that the value of knowing more about the universe is justified by the cost, simply “because it’s there.” You mentioned the Apollo missions - do you feel the result of that exploration was worth the result? Many don’t.
I do. Lots of technology and management techniques came from Apollo - hard benefits.
It is my honest question - “What do we get from knowing our arm is a major arm of the galaxy as opposed to a minor one?” I hope someone can tell me. But I’m not hopeful.
I don’t even care if it’s something minor, and doesn’t pay for itself. I just want to know why it’s a big deal.