Why should we do things instead of watching other people do them on TV?
If the purpose is purely functional, then to some extent I'd agree - there are a lot of tasks we can achieve faster and better with robots.
But we can't be there via robots in any meaningful way. Even if we manage to some day achieve perfect telepresence, the delay in response will make it continue to feel artificial.
And so there will always be at least some people with a drive to actually go there before we even start thinking about things like longevity of the species etc.
If the purpose is purely functional, then to some extent I'd agree - there are a lot of tasks we can achieve faster and better with robots.
But we can't be there via robots in any meaningful way. Even if we manage to some day achieve perfect telepresence, the delay in response will make it continue to feel artificial.
And so there will always be at least some people with a drive to actually go there before we even start thinking about things like longevity of the species etc.
(another answer might be just because it's there)