
Originally Posted by
kojax
If all we're going to do is walk around a bit, and take a few samples, I think the money could be better spent on public works projects, cutting taxes, or even buying more bullets to shoot hapless Afghans with. What is the most impressive scientific discovery we're likely to make? Maybe there's life on Mars??? Big deal. And we'll spend the next ten years debating whether that refutes or confirms the existence of a God, as though that were the biggest question concerning humanity's survival or something. It's not like we're going to find a cure for cancer in Martian bacteria. (Feel free to tell me "I told you so" if we do. )
Anyway, remember that most of our experience with unmanned robot missions was back in the 90's with 90's technology. Computer processing has gotten a lot more powerful since then, and probably robotics too. If we send up another robot, it will probably be able to dig for samples on its own.
No one wanted to finance Columbus' trip to America. It was said to be a waste of money. People knew the Earth was round and just expected to find more of the same there, like they had back home, which basically they did.
NASA and many others believe that there is life on Mars, due to the gassing off of methane every Martian summer, and confirming it would tell us that life could be plentiful in the universe (though probably over 99% of it would be of a similarly low level to Mars bacteria.)
Mars would be a staging post with eventual colonies there and further exploration of the solar system built on this. It would be like the colonisation of the New World some centuries ago, only Russia now believes it has a viable propulsion method of getting to Mars and back which could be up and running within a decade and a century from now, much of the solar system might be seen as parts of Russia who got their first.
As to the wars, for America Iraq and Afghanistan is rapidly heading towards the $1 trillion mark (at this moment in time, over $952 billion). As to spending the money elsewhere, it would be more like spending it on red tape, on luxuries and such which would fritter away the trillions as America (and other countries) do every year with little or nothing to show for it. Back in the 60's, people like you thought it a waste of money to go to the Moon when there were other things to spend it on. We would never leave Earth but stay on this one speck forever.