I have a deep concern about the near future that I'd like to see addressed. Perhaps anyone else here feels the same?
Suppose all government funding around the globe for space exploration dries up in our post-Covid19 world, leaving the private sector as the only means to advance humanity's presence into space. What will this entail?
-Continued research and development into space-access technologies that are cheaper and safer than anything we have now.
-Crowd-funding. Perhaps much of it may be earmarked for space-access to build a "highway" for thousands and eventually millions of us to emigrate from Earth. (heck, I'd certainly contribute to that endeavor!)
-Exploration programs will be focused on how the moon and asteroids can be exploited rather than on learning for the sake of knowledge itself.
-The establishment of off-world mining and manufacturing infrastructure may take precedence over Mars exploration and settlement.
Has anyone else asked these and related questions? I'm hoping Isaac Arthur can devote perhaps a whole series to this possible scenario.