Before man walked on the moon, it wasn't long before man first flew in a heavier-than-air apparatus, and before that it wasn't long before nobody has ever set f

Before man walked on the moon, it wasn't long before man first flew in a heavier-than-air apparatus, and before that it wasn't long before nobody has ever set foot on the South Pole. You can keep going. And do define "cope". We had two world wars and we almost annihilated each other in 1962 and then once in the 1980s. No, I'm not saying that if we explored space, world wars wouldn't happen. Yes, I'm fully aware that space exploration is in a way a byproduct of military endeavors. Consider why sports exist. They are also a (cultural) byproduct of military endeavors. Sports bring us a variety of benefits, including things like giving people meaning, making them bond with each other, helping maintain a healthy lifestyle, and lifting many kids out of poverty. There is a role for something like that---for exploring places like space. Consider also human (primate) psychology and how team sports can satisfy urges we would otherwise want to unleash in more destructive way on each other---and do so in a positive, constructive way. I wouldn't be surprised that in an alternative timeline where sports don't exist our newspapers would be filled with a lot more grizzly headlines on a daily basis. Consider now that we're living in an alternative/dystopian timeline where one of the most fascinating sports (exploring the unknown) had mysteriously nearly disappeared. Purely as sport, space exploration would have been of a sufficient benefit to pursue in my opinion. But of course, it is a lot more than just a sport.