Re:Real Estate (Score 1)

Petty or not, economic interests in space will likely be the driving force behind its exploration. As the X-prize demonstrated, privately funded space endeavors hold a lot of promise. Even that relatively recent event aside, the bulk of launches have been commercially-oriented (satellites), and these in turn have helped to encourage cheaper, more reliable means of space-travel. In the end, most anything that serves to attract industry to space, like this "real estate," is a good thing.