When we want to understand we have to feel. That is why we adore, why we ache, crave, long for something, or someone. We want to be close to be enlightened by touch.
And there is more to that. Our understanding goes along, hand in hand, so to speak, with grasping. We all are the blindest among the blind, as we might be seeing more then them, maybe, but we perceive just like they do, and still understand less. Because the blind have a special connection to touch, they have a far better understanding of the world in many ways.
That is just our world. So what about the many different worlds that might be out there? We already understand not much of this universe in its infinity. What results of understanding could machines and computers give us, until they will have learned to feel?
If we really want to explore space, if we want to go beyond imagination, we will desperately need manned space craft.