View source for Colonising Space/Intro

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Some people wonder what is the point of heading off into space when we have a wonderful planet to live on that provides all of our needs, and rather handily has an atmosphere that we can breathe...

The immediate answer is survival. At the moment we have all our eggs in one basket here on Earth and if nothing else it will be an insurance policy for our species and others. And following on from that it can be seen as the next big step of life inhabiting a new environment and spreading itself throughout space.

The resources in space in terms of energy, material and places to live are effectively unlimited which will eventually help take some of the burden of mankind off Earth. Above all it will be fun and a massive challenge.