NASA's loss of focus is a blessing in disguise

When the shuttle was retired last year (Atlantis - July 21, 2011), it signaled then end of an era for the US space program.  Now NASA will be focusing more on robotic missions, and the current administrator (Charles Bolden) made a statement in 2010 where he stated "NASA's foremost mission was better relations w/ the Muslim world.", admittedly a little strange.

However, NASA's loss of focus is actually a blessing in disguise.

This leaves the door open for private companies to commercialize space, and it is far more lucrative to commercialize space for the purpose of space settlement than space exploration.

Let me explain.

Building a permanent self-sufficient space settlement will be hugely expensive but it can be commercially viable, especially if the settlement is involved in mining near earth objects for their metal content and trading with the Earth.  Mining is just one example of how Space Settlement can be considered a good ROI for enterprising companies.    Another is the potential to manufacture certain products that can only be produced well in zero or near zero G environments.

Sending robots to roam the distant solar system is very important for the advancement of science and should be continued, however the discoveries we make will not bring any immediate, tangible benefits, economically speaking.  That's why all of the money for these programs is funded through tax dollars and is a government run enterprise.