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It would seem to me that the ultimate objective of space exploration is exploitable resources. (If not the actual resources, at least the expansion of knowledge to get more out of what we have).

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Access to space is incredibly expensive; There are no known natural resources (materials) out there that is worth the cost of transport. Even if you find an asteroid made of solid platinum, a trip to retrieve it wouldn't be profitable.

The main purpose of the current space program is to expand our knowledge. Mars is the planet most similar to our own, and studying the differences and similarities can tell us much about our own planet. Also, there is some evidence that liquid water once exited on Mars; that means there is some chance that we'll find life there, or evidence that life once existed there in the past. If we get a chance to study a life form completely different from what's on earth, again that may tell us a lot about ourselves.

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-- Ken Kobayashi

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