Robots can do "a bit of science" just as well, if not better. With a comparable budget, you'd see some pretty incredible robots on Mars. Meanwhile we're pissing away dollars shoving meatbags into tincans in LEO and pretending its progress.
Even during the madness of spending that was the Apollo program the time spent actually doing "a bit of science" was extremely limited. The cost per minute doing science with people is a whole different league than robots.
Sure, but just to be sure, you don't seem to be responding to what I said. Elon Musk's venture isn't based on doing science. Again, they're trying to build a colony for a goal that isn't necessarily scientific, but will have scientific benefits.
I find it fascinating how they want to build colony, but right now we are not even able to drill small hole in there. It is like running startup in three steps: 1) collect underpants 2) ???? 3) profit!!!!
You need robots even for colony. Farting into bubbles on LEO will not get you there.
They are doing it the other way round from the gnomes though.
They are starting with profit, are not sure about the middle, but know that if it all works then they are definitely going to have to collect some new underpants.
The end goal is the sustainable colony. The only way to get there is to have low-cost, routine surface to orbit launches. That is what SpaceX is working on now, that is their current goal.
I'm unsure of how you consider what they're doing right now immaterial to their goals.
Even during the madness of spending that was the Apollo program the time spent actually doing "a bit of science" was extremely limited. The cost per minute doing science with people is a whole different league than robots.