> We need better battery technology, improved drugs and mental health, better power generation (such as nuclear fusion), and much more how do you know that wor

> We need better battery technology, improved drugs and mental health, better power generation (such as nuclear fusion), and much more how do you know that work on going to mars doesn't improve any of those? And from another perspective, people like researching exciting things, and would prefer it over an unexciting field. Could you imagine someone being told to work on anti-hydroplaning for the onramp of a highway? Imagine talking about it to family/friends at a party. But space exploration is fancy - people would want to listen to it, and you gain appreciation from them. But the outcome of the research is _still_ applicable to other fields. So funding space exploration gets people excited, which would allow them to put more effort and soul into said research. You can't imagine how boring it is doing fundamental research otherwise.