There are a couple big concerns I think need tackled in order to get our bipedal asses into space, and while plenty have been covered already I'd like to throw some more kindling into this bonfire.
FUNDING) Like it or not, cash still rules everything around research projects. The main concern is, where's that money coming from? At this point, NASA's goals for the space program at this time is to throw money at anyone with a rocket ship and a spare seat (usually Russia). Europe is more concerned with trying to clean up Greece's credit score. So, if a government sponsorship brings us to intergalactic speed in the next twenty years, odds are pretty good it'll be China.
The free market presents some extra chances to cultivate funding, yes, but let's look at it from a practical standpoint. The contents of the universe are still pretty unknown, so the thought of sending out exploratory mining vessels to what could well be a dead end of the stars would cause any business owner night terrors. At best, the tech will be redesigned to make new terrestrial transports. At craziest, eccentric billionaires like Sir Richard Branson will be able to fulfill their long-awaited wish of ferrying their rich friends to the moon and back.
PSYCHOLOGY) With our current tech levels, a trip from Earth to Mars and back ranges from 13 to 15 months (variance depending on how much time you want to spend playing golf in a rusty sandbox). That's quite a bit of time to spend in any area, let alone a spacecraft. Designed to be aerodynamic and efficient first, that doesn't leave a lot of dancing room for a crew of seven. More importantly, you know that guy at work you hate? The one with the goofy ties and the canned jokes that never go over very well, probably named Gary? Imagine having to live with that jerk for a year and a half.
DESIRE) As popular as the thought of climbing onto giant space bound arks once we've turned the skies gray with pollution sounds to us nerds, the problem remains that it's a hard vision to sell the rest of the world. All that money we'd be dumping into a program to possibly escape the world, couldn't that be better spent trying to make this rathole a better place? And what would you do once you got into space, anyway? Flutter about aimlessly from star cluster to star cluster, looking for the raw materials you need to put together a second craft? Try to find a homeworld to colonize into Earth 1.5? Find new forms of sentient beings, who would quickly grow nervous about further communications with us once they check our DVD collection?
I still want to be excited about the chance to go into space at some point in the future. But right now, I'd be more concerned with creating a safe and reliable fission generator than any form of long distance space travel. Besides, once we get that bit nailed, the rest of the project should be a cakewalk.
