What about mining asteroids*? Research? Publicity? Yes, space travel is expensive, but it's not so expensive that it will be impossible to make a profit off of what we do. Space travel will continue to be expensive and not very profitable for a while, but that's not to say it will never be profitable. There's many more fields that can be exploited in space than the three I mentioned. *This is a difficult endeavor, don't get me wrong, but it can still be profitable if we keep the supply and demand of space-mined resources in check.