Impossible Implausible Impossible Heresy Impossible Hyperdesert Impossible Unlivable Implausuble Heresy Unpossible Unplausible heretical .
Ok, just kidding. :rofl:
Seriously though: space colonisation should not (necessarily) be the end-all and be-all of human spaceflight. There's far more to it, technological development, biological research, planetary science done on the surface of other astronomical bodies, international prestige, fostering international relations through cooperation...
Space colonisation itself is quite a far-fetched subject, (one that most of you have figured out I have a knack of... criticising :dry: ) so it could dispel people... on the other hand, it is definitely worth addressing, and it's a good deal more complex than warrenting a simple mention of "some people believe that gold located in lunar craters is an exploitable resource for the near future" or "Stephen Hawking advocates Space and Survival" alone.
The reason US human spaceflight shouldn't be equated with space colonisation is because space colonisation isn't an official goal of NASA (the official mission statement as of late has been 'pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research'). That doesn't mean it isn't an implied goal (at least in the hopeful minds of NASA workers and enthusiasts), or that it isn't a relevant subject... just that it isn't actually part of what the US human spaceflight program is about (right now).
I would not advocate the US blundering forth on spending large sums of money on space exploration for the underlying urge of "I want my jetpack", but rather a focus on NASA leading technology development and exploration that can not only make space access easier, but explore further possibilities for exploiting the space environment.
Space colonisation or not, that would be a very good way to spend money. The advances in materials science, engineering, medicine, scientific understandings, endearing international cooperative agreements, and more advanced toasters that would inevitably grow from it would be a good thing- and a key selling point- regardless.