It isn’t space travel that ought to evoke our awe, but something much closer to us, explains Don Boudreaux pithily and eloquently.
I feel the same way about space travel funded by our taxes, as I’ve mentioned here and here. Especially for a country like India—fix the damn drains of Mumbai first.
Also, on the theme that Boudreaux touches upon, check out this classic essay by Leonard Read: I, Pencil.