[neatcoder]

I think such thinking is very short-sighted. Space exploration is necessary. It satisfies human curiosity, a very innate need among humans, one of the reasons why our species has been very successful so far.

That there are real problems that exist here on the Earth somehow does not preclude space exploration. Space exploration and solving problems on the Earth are not mutually exclusive activities. They can both be done in parallel and sometimes one helps the other and vice versa.

[Retra]

On the other hand, any argument which proposes that we should explore space because we are unable to solve problems on Earth is entirely foolhardy and fantastical.