With all due respect dhama, me thinks we should put things in proper perspective.

Check these sites out on how space exploration has benefited mankind many times over:

spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/benefits.php

www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9811/02/space.medical/index.html

*www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html

“And what advantage do we get from such info..... that could benefit mankind and/or make life better for those in suffering?”*

The list you offer is for the sake of setting up a Martian base…the Phoenix is the first of several in a Mars Scout program mission plan.

If you mean foreign aid and charity then you would be interested in knowing that the U.S. is most generously already doing that to the tune of billions of dollars annually.

If you mean for those right here in the U.S. then I recommend not giving foreign aid to uncooperative countries and help those in need here instead. Besides, The U.S. shouldn’t be in the business of creating welfare states in impoverish countries where their governments should be helping the people instead of themselves. Furthermore, the more we give in foreign aid and charity, the more it seems they hate us anyway…just my opinion.