[ChrisBennet]

Manned exploration has some political justifications such as:
- Employing Russian scientists so they use don't go to work for the forces of evil.
- Industrial welfare program to keep companies in business until we need them for the next war.

As far a space exploration goes though, manned exploration is a horrible waste since it uses money that could be better spent on unmanned exploration.

As far as eventual "escape" from an overpoplulated planet, we have the technology now to fix overpopulation - birth control. Think what a billion $ in birth control could do for population control. Looking at space exploration as a way to solve our eventual problems is like playing the lottery as a way to get out of debt.

-Chris