A better life awaits you in the off-world colonies.

That's the conclusion of 12 experts polled for the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first launch from Cape Canaveral.

Meet the experts

The 13 experts who gave their opinions for this article come from diverse fields.

What other reasons did our subjects have that didn't make the cut?

The possibility of water on Mars and the moon has fueled speculation about if and when humans will colonize space. With the growing commercialization of space, and the possibility of people spending longer periods of time off Earth, questions arise as to why we should seek to inhabit space.

A group of space professionals from various organizations talked with SPACE.com about what they thought were the top 10 reasons for inhabiting outer space. Of the 12 people contacted, one thought it would be unethical to send humans into space and that only robots should go, but many were of the opinion that space colonization was necessary for the long-term survival of humanity.

The opinions were ranked by their popularity with the participants, along with relevant insights.