"For a fraction of the cost of sustaining human life on another planet, we could construct a huge automated research complex capable of doing everything a human would want to do"
No, we couldn't.
It's a common refrain, but there's no evidence of it. Where on Earth are these robots that are as productive as humans?
> You'll find those productive robots in every modern factory in the world, building everything from cars to candy more efficiently than humans.
Doing one pre-programmed thing, and they they can't automatically adjust the feed rate as the drill bit wears down, or pick up the bit they drop when their suction pump jams, or change their own electrodes when their spot weld quality drops.
Automated factories take vast human effort to set up and are extraordinarily sensitive (i.e. prone to breaking) to unexpected inputs or deviations in operating environments.
This is not a good line of reasoning when arguing for their suitability for exploring an unknown planet, though I appreciate you might just be specifically addressing your parent's point.
No, we couldn't.
It's a common refrain, but there's no evidence of it. Where on Earth are these robots that are as productive as humans?
They simply do not exist.