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One spinoff industry of the Artemis Project and lunar development is allowing a significant fraction of the population in first-world countries to liquidate their terrestrial assets for transportation and permanent accommodations on the Moon. In other words, colonization.
The benefit of lunar living for the handicapped is a strong argument for doing this. Life would be so much easier in 1/6-g for those afflicted by muscular dystrophy or polio, or physical injuries that paralyze the legs.
Imagine what it would be like to live in a house where you can't reach the upper kitchen cabinets from your wheelchair. Now think of how much nicer life would be if you could just pull yourself up there with your hands and use all the space around you.
1/6-g will be better than zero-g, especially for someone with a disease like cerebral palsy. It won't hurt if you fall down and stairs are no longer a nightmare. Another bonus is that in 1/6-g, objects remain stationary instead of floating away.
Despite the strain of a multiple-g launch, people would undoubtedly live longer in a low-gravity environment. Those with a lifetime of accumulated wealth to dispose of may very well spring for a home on the moon, complete with an extra decade of life.
It's a bit of a social cause, but if we can create a nice living environment and provide a way where one can get there at reasonable expense, this one benefit would make the whole project worth doing.
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