Ok, I'll concede that they are pushing technology forward regardless of where it ends up. But my greatest fear is that the insane cost of a Mars base, and no actual tangible financial benefit, is just a re-run of the 60s moon race and will actually turn off the major backers and sources of money from further missions. It would be a shame to let Elons dream derail space exploration for another 60 or more years, just cos he wants to. At least government-financed missions were influenced by public support, whereas Elon essentially can do what he wants with all the money he got from everyone, with no accountability.