Mars, no really; again

[HopAlongBunny]

I think both Seamus and spmetla raise valid points.
In a sense, manned missions are the advertisements that help pay for the program.
The science can be done by robots, mining (likely the biggest commercial use of space) is also better handled by robots; nothing galvanizes the public the way manned missions do.
I suppose we have science fiction to thank for that; the narrative is human travel, exploration and heroism; robots are bit players.