"Space was what we were going to do after we took care of business here. Well, we never really got around to it, did we?"

No, we never got around to doing that, but when will we? When can everyone on Earth say in one voice that they are truly content and happy? Even when well fed and healthy, humans are always changing, questioning, creating, discovering... those are the positives. Some choose to strive for power, use deceit, kill, etc.

Space was, to those in power, The Space Race: As devoid of life as the moon seemed, the objective was 'who would land on the moon first'. Interesting that, now that we ARE looking for life elsewhere, no timeline has been set. Which is fine by me... landing on Mars has not been an easy task and I'm thankfull for those rovers that not only each made it to Mars in one piece, but that they've met their objectives and are STILL operating and sending data. I can only imagine how everyone involved in that program feels about such an accomplishment.

Desperation exists because humans strive for something better and even different of themselves than what they currently have. It could even be defined as a kind of exploration in itself. Doing the same tasks everyday can get mundane, boring... even those that work in Astronomy and physics might (emphasis on 'might') feel that way from time to time (great payoffs though!). Exploring the universe is the ultimate exploration, imho.