What we need are things that will bring down the cost of space living and space travel
ala interstate highway systems, sailing vessel building programs, air traffic control networks, transcontinental railroads, etc.
Don't get me wrong: I love the science, I love the exploration. I hope one day it won't take $500M (or whatever) to send a bus to Mars. Steps toward bringing that cost down are good. Sending busses to Mars for $500M in the near term is an unfortunate necessity.