Do the benefits of space travel outweigh the risks and why?

Although we can learn more about the planets and maybe even find resources from other planets, I think space travel is a complete waste of time and money. We were put on Earth for a reason; if we were meant to live somewhere else then we would be by now. And the expense involved is enormous. This money could be redirected to focus on new and better ways of harnessing the suns renewable energy source to replace the use of fossil fuels etc.