Agreed. As long as there is one impoverished, hungry mouth to feed on Earth, we should cease all space exploration. Dittos for scientific advancement of any kind. Who cares? R&D is just welfare for nerds.
DO not pivot on what I said. I worked 35 years in R&D. Developed some fantastic products...ALL FOR USE ON EARTH by people. Nothing is gained to further human condition by knowledge of how many habitable planets exit in the universe if they are light years away. Total waste of precious earth resources which we are consuming at a faster and faster rate. Earth has finite resources. To waste them is a hideous crime just to keep a few nerds employed.