I don't understand your comment. You're saying that certain research should take priority over solving internal problems, but space exploration shouldn't...? Why?
Humans in space efforts have nothing to do with research. They are now purely national prestige efforts. And I am extremely pro-space, I just don't think current efforts are doing ANYTHING AT ALL about getting us there permanently.
If anything space exploration is research intensive. We have done a lot of research in space and even on the ground before we got there.
I'm curious as to what you mean by pure research.