Another NdT quote to add...
This is from his book "The Sky Is Not The Limit", pg 70:

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But as already noted, let us not fool ourselves into thinking we went to the Moon because we are pioneers, or discoverers, or adventurers. We went to the Moon because it was the militaristically expedient thing to do.
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Neil deGrasse Tyson does not mince his words. There are plenty of people who have dedicated their lives to space history yet remain willfully blind to the fundamental motivation behind why Apollo was funded, yet at astrophysicist can see this plain as day. This is parallel to the multitudes who were confronted with the simple facts that clearly show that Pluto did not fit the primary characteristics of the planets in the Solar System. How many from this multitude of experts chose to speak up to say that the Emperor had no clothes? NdT spoke up. And he held his stand long before it became a popular thing to do.

There were 24 people who flew out to the Moon. How many of them have an accurate understanding of why they were sent? Frank Borman is one. He too does not mince words when he clearly states that Apollo was another battle in the Cold War. Will someone like Buzz Aldrin ever get to the point where he too can admit that publicly? Buzz is a dreamer, still focused on ways we can get to Mars. And that's ok. I'm glad we have dreamers. It serves a very important role.

But if the purpose for getting humans to Mars is to serve as a way to preserve the continuation of the human species, it is clear to me that the more effective approach by far is to learn our history lessons accurately so that we can gain enough wisdom to keep from destroying ourselves here on Earth..

~ CT