The reason is pretty simple. The technology you are using right now, was created with knowledge that was obtained in orbit.

If you use GPS, you are inherently reliant on satellites, delivered with rockets.

Some of our resource shortages can be covered via resource acquisition in space.

Pushing the space frontier, is far more interesting and important, than mobile phone screen size, or fidelity.

It opens an entire new area to the sciences.

Also big explody tube warms the cockles of my heart.

Many of the techie people on HN undoubtedly dreamed of building and flying rockets at some point in their tweens / teens till the harsh realities of the material world took over. So they are vicariously living childhood dreams... Just like many "normal" people live theirs by following sports teams or celebrities. To each their own :-)

Rockets are good. They give us hope that one day we ll explore the stars. Let people enjoy the small wins.

Also, the (IMHO false) hope that we can escape the planet after we destroy it. Well, maybe the few richest will be able to do that ...

Also the hope that we can go on vacation to the lunar hilton, or orbital O'Neill colony.

> half religion half misplaced techno-positivism

It sometimes feels like it: everything blows-up and thread here is like "what a success", Second stage explodes - "beautiful" (while trash is falling into ocean).

Yeah there is a huge amount of rationalizing how the debris aren’t a problem. Everyone is certain it will burn up before hitting the ground, and if it doesn’t, it will land somewhere that doesn’t matter… but I don’t think anyone knows that for sure?

Rockets are cool but it’s everyone’s planet, if this continues to make a huge mess, do us regular earth citizens have recourse?