That's not really a valid argument though, nor a valid comparison. We're talking a huge change in scale in both safety and cost between sending an unmanned mission and a manned mission to the Moon or Mars in comparison to me flying to Germany instead of watching a Rick Steve's special on Germany.

If we can retrieve the same information more quickly (robots don't have to be trained), more cheaply (you don't have to feed them or supply them with oxygen), and more safely (if we lose a robot at the most you lose money and possibly information, that's it) then the decision is obvious.