I don't think we should halt our exploration of the worlds in our solar system and space in general just because there are unmet issues down on earth. As another poster said, it takes more than money to solve the world's problems. Moreover, the expenditures of the space program are trivial compared to military and defense budgets -- over one trillion dollars per year worldwide. Maybe we need changes in policy or action rather than just allocating money that would otherwise go to the cause of science and furthering human knowledge.