Re: "Before we enter an age that could see people trek to the stars "
>We'll have to find some way to extend human life span long enough to get there,
Generation ships have long been a feature of SF... no need to extend lifespan when you plan to have several generations of space travellers on board.
Of course, making a practical generation ship is... err.... tricky?... but not impossible, and probably cheaper than extending human life span.