Well, of course. Apollo was a "flags and footprints" mission; good for photo-ops and our national ego, not so good for actual science or R&D.
We need to do some aggressive work in the quest for Moon bases and the (manned) exploration of Mars; either we accept the inevitable losses or we sit back and watch the Chinese. They won't let accidents stop their space program (of course they hold human life cheap but the results are what I'm referring to).
Yes, there will be losses. There were losses all along the Oregon Trail. Maybe some things are riskier than others, but you're going to go sooner or later whether it is on the way to Mars or sitting on the couch with a clicker in your hand, you know what I mean. Astronauts know this and accept it. Maybe their family and friends don't accept it as well, maybe their puppy dog tries to keep them from leaving the house every day. We're going to go into space anyway.
Americans, especially, understand the migration thing. Migration didn't stop just because the Federal Mining Law of 1876 was passed by Congress.