We are trying to send spaceships to the corners of the solar system. We are sending some that will go even beyond. We are trying to find out more about the surface of Mars and about satellites of Saturn. All this needs billions of dollars and millions of man-hours of the best brains of science. At this same time on our earth, there are countries, which are so poor that many children die of malnutrition. People have to walk many kilometers to fetch small quantity of water. Children die because they have nothing to protect themselves during the winter. There have no medicines to protect against early blindness and many other diseases that make their life hell forever. The world is as much full of poverty, as much of prosperity.
What are we gaining by finding out about the surface of Mars? If the same money and the same brains are used to prevent early deaths in the interiors of Africa, will it help us? If some money is diverted and water is sent to villages in poor countries, will that help more?
What helps us more? When I say us, I mean not a nation, but the earth. Many people are working to alleviate misery, but a lot needs to be done. Will science be more beneficial if it is used to help mankind than finding out how and when the cosmos was formed? A child dies of hunger and thirst. A child dies of diseases. A child dies of winter. Is saving that child less important for us than to find out if Mars has any ice on its surface?