There are many ways to argue this issue with you, but I think I found one that will give you heart.
The military black ops programs.
We know they exist. But what people don't realize is that the military doesn't just steal and hide the inventions for military use - it also hides the science.
So, there's hidden science. Paid for with tax dollars, kept under lock and key.
To put it simply, I believe someday that that secret science will take us to the stars. Because its precisely the type of science the military would be interested in stealing.
See, doesn't that cheer you up?
There is no hidden science that will propel us to the stars.
That is almost certainly a fact.
If we had black ops space programs amateur astronomers would catch them real fast.
The only things that go into space are launched and the public know about.