[erikpukinskis]

Of course. If the Mars mission were properly marketed, as entertainment with a little planetary science sprinkled in, I would have no issue with it. As reality TV it is a sensible investment, and will bring joy to many.

But it's marketed as somehow important to the survival of humanity, and that's a lie. There are no scenarios, even vaguely theoretical ones, where Mars is more hospitable than Earth any time in the next million years.

I feel almost exactly the same way about Burning Man. To the extent that it's marketed as a dance party in the desert for the wealthy, I think it's a wonderful thing. I respect that it holds important religious services for many people.

When people start talking about how it's an evolution of society, or somehow a solution to the world's problems, I take issue.

FWIW, I would answer the titular question in the affirmative: Yes, a Mars mission is morally defensible. It's just not good for society right now. Still, we should probably do it sooner than later, since we're about to burn our oil reserves. This might be our last chance to get out to the asteroids and build the factories to seed the space economy. But again, from Earth's perspective this is all just entertainment.