Bah!
"if we had to throw away an aircraft every time it flew, then flying would be a very rare and expensive occurrence"
If we used airframes and engines in an aircraft as hard as we do those in a rocket this old saw would be forgotten instead of written on a post-it stuck to the computer monitor of every single press commentator on rocketry.
The shuttle proved many things in its lifetime, among them that the cost of refurbishment is much higher than the cost of throw-away when only considering the out of pocket expenses. I predict this will not be different for the definitely amazing Space X first stage (hey, it lands like a rocket should land).
" allowing rich idiots the chance"
Until access to space for everyone is a reality, no-one will be able to drum up much enthusiasm in the payers-of-taxes that fund all this sort of stuff.
Personally, it is all over for me, but it could still be possible for my kid to see space from inside it. I support any effort that gets us closer to that, because ordinary people in space is better than a select few of those with The Right Stuff any day of the week.
Why should the first footprints on Mars be made by someone with a doctorate degree rather than anyone else? It took NASA long enough to twig about sending geologists to do geology on the Moon. The best sort of person to be on Mars might very well be a plumber or an electrician given the need to get life-supporting stuff fixed-up with a radio lag back to Mommy Central anywhere from 4 to 24 minutes.
You may judge resupply of the NEO shed of political off-showery to be more important, but I don't see much work being done on how to engineer a proper space station on the ISS. Lots of science, but little practical technology that shifts the paradigm.
A proper space station would house people without the need for excessive special training. It would have enough gravity to make life relatively simple and provide proper windows so the visitors could see why they built the damn thing in the first place.
And it should float higher than a gnat's whisker away from the atmosphere, so it doesn't need so much shoving to keep it aloft. Which means we need better lifting engines so people can get there.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
