[Covenantor]

While it would be cool to see American men walk on Mars, we could send 50 more robots there in the next 20 years and scan half the planet for the same cost!”
And at best, learn half as much ...

Really?

And exactly what sort of useful data would a human, clad in protective gear, acquire that robot instrumentation could not?

[PIF]

” And exactly what sort of useful data would a human, clad in protective gear, acquire that robot instrumentation could not?”

If you cannot figure that out on your own, then there’s nothing I could say.