our next big challenge(s)

There have been a number of wistful, mournful, etc posts (and presumably op-eds) about how far the US has fallen since the Apollo project, why can't we come up with something that inspiring, stuff like that. I loved it at the time and I still am fascinated by the vague approximation of space travel that we have (there were astronauts wandering around outside the space station just yesterday), but I think the future there lies in really clever robotic science missions. We may have some sort of genetic wanderlust. The world wouldn't have been populated if people didn't want (in the words of the Schoolhouse Rock explanation of manifest destiny) elbow room, but maybe it's time for people to try to try to work out a better way to live on Earth rather than just trashing it and moving on.
It's an interesting coincidence that Henry Louis Gates was arrested IN HIS OWN HOUSE, after showing ID, for what, being obnoxious to police who were unwilling to believe that he hadn't broken in because black people don't live in that neighborhood? I don't think we can use the president to justify claims of getting past racism in the US. His election was a fluke, I think, or maybe it was the economy, stupid. So - equality in the US. A really big challenge.
Sustainable food supplies, preparedness for the continued weather messes to come, health care for all our people, no more wars started by ego. We could pick any of these and make it our big challenge, and see whether throwing huge amounts of money and lots of geeks at it could make it happen.