of course, a human mission in space is normally far more attractive than unmanned flights, because the humans are part of us and we can understand what they're going through (if they explain well enough , which isn't obvious as their experience is very different from our own frame of refrences).

But we see more and more liftoffs with a rocketCam attached on the rocket, which provide us with a better view than what an astronaut would be able to see and experience if he were riding the rocket.

A small camera is attached to XMM Newton, to help technicians with the deployment of solar panels, but it provided us with the furthest views of our own Planet, seen at the time by a European camera. Later Mars Express also showed us views of Earth and the Moon, while on its way to Mars.
A small camera on Mir was also providing us with the last moments in space of that venerable station, before it dove into the atmosphere.
Cameras showed us unique views from the surface of Mars, Venus, the Moon, almost Eros.
A camera like AerCam Sprint can save a Shuttle crew, a camera riding a spacecraft meant to study the Sun from L1, could also send us continuous live pictures of our home world.

One of these days, a series of cameras, attached to a probe on a trip to other worlds, could provide us with continuous views from the moment of liftoff till its arrival, somewhere, and keep us showing pictures (of the stars using very sensitive cameras avoiding the Sunlight and later, from wheeled vehicle moving around an alien landscape).

If the visual experience can be shared live, on practically all phases of a flight and not only for the pleasure of our eyes but also for the information about the well being of the vehicle, then, perhaps, the fact that such a flight might not be involving humans in space might become secondary.
The eyes are the most important sensory organs for astronauts, but also for humans to share the experience, remotely.

Raoul

Raoul