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Maybe you’ve been wondering like me: Is there any point in shooting rich guys like me? Jeff Bezos and “Star Trek” actor William Shatner into space?

Wendy Whitman Cobb, an Air Force political scientist for space, says yes. Our conversation challenged my thinking about space projects like Bezos and Elon Musk that dream of a future far from Earth.

” if you shoutMIDDLE AGE CRISIS“When Bezos touched space last year, or why Musk Space X company pulled too much Cautiontoday’s newsletter is for you.

Whitman Cobb with a Ph.D. In political science, he said, tourist trips are the first step towards transforming space travel from weird to routine. And he believes amateurs in orbit are proven ground for worthy ambitions. Settling on Mars as Musk imaginedor colonizing space to support more people and industries than is possible on Earth, As Bezos wanted.

Sounds like billionaire escape fantasies to me. But Whitman Cobb’s optimism is a useful counterpoint to the regular release of this newsletter. warnings that technology is nothing magic fix with our problems. Whitman Cobb agrees, but also said that technology sometimes does magic in space exploration.

Companies like SpaceX, Bezos’ Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and New Zealand-based start-up Rocket Lab are looking to rewind the past decade. become bigger players in spaceflight. Companies have always worked with governments on space travel, but now they’re more concerned with getting astronauts, enthusiasts, satellites and cargo into space.

There is debate about the proper role of governments versus corporations in space, but Whitman Cobb believes these corporations make rote space missions cheaper and easier. he is Frees NASA to dream big In projects like tracking lunar colonies and exploring deep space.

SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic He also pioneered space pleasure journeys. These are enjoyable journeys for the very few, but Whitman Cobb said they have helped increase the safety of space travel and have sparked enthusiasm for seeking beyond our planet.

“The more ‘normal’ people we see flying into space, the more people will see it and be excited about it as much as possible,” he said. “This public opinion is key to many of the things these companies do, as well as the U.S. government, in space.”

(Whitman Cobb said these views were his own, not the US government that employed him. He also said he did not receive funding from commercial space companies.)

The ultimate goal goes far beyond tourism. Musk and Bezos want to move people or pollute industries into space or Creating a Martian civilization. I’m worried it’s a excuse Ignoring the world’s problems.

Whitman Cobb understood why I asked if these were reckless delusions, but he also doesn’t want us to overlook the potential benefits of dreaming. The history of space exploration, he said, said that bizarre and not necessarily high-minded visions are doable and not necessarily helpful.

US missions to the moon in the 1960s were driven by a desire to prove America’s superiority over the Soviet Union. However, nationalist space missions spurred the development of the smaller electronics we use every day, improved healthcare technology, and even us memory foam. The boom in commercial space flight over the past decade, reduced the cost of space access and enabled new ideas such as small-scale satellites to map the Earth from above.

Whitman Cobb said that the advanced technology that commercial space companies are developing for spaceflight could also seep into other areas to help us.

He describes himself as a space freak, and said that fascination with space is a worthy goal. “It also makes it itchy, so to speak, of humanity’s longing to explore, discover and understand the world around us,” he said.

I asked Whitman Cobb if he wanted to live on Mars. “Absolutely,” he replied. “Maybe not forever.”

I’m not dismissing all my doubts about rocket tourism or the space fantasies of billionaires. When companies play a big role in space, they can hoard inventions rather than benefit the public. Space tourism also harms the environmentand it’s not clear how valuable space travel and commerce are. We know that technologies, even useful ones, have their downsides.

Whitman Cobb wants us to have that skepticism as well as excitement. The history of space travel, he said, shows that selfish dreams can benefit us all.

Before you go …

• More Earthbound Musk news: He got into hot water for his tweets. Recently, Musk also bought a large portion of Twitter shares. Nobody knows exactly what they’re doing, my colleagues Mike Isaac and Lauren Hirsch are reporting. Twitter on Tuesday said: Musk will join the company’s board of directors.

• What does a altruist do with his cryptocurrency fortune? Sam Bankman-Fried, one of the founders of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, is one of the richest people in the world and believes in scientific reasoning to make the best of it. Bloomberg News tells us about 30-year-old Bankman-Fried and asks: “Who wants to save the world must first gather as much money and power as possible, or will chasing after him corrupt him on the way?” (Subscription may be required.)

  Related: My Times Opinion colleague Ezra Klein interviewed video essayist Dan Olson. warns of the dangers of crypto ideology and culture.

• How to properly recycle your gadgets: It’s not uncommon for batteries in electronics to set fires in landfills and recycling centers. The Washington Post explains how to safely dispose of your gadgets and batteries. (Subscription may be required.)

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