I sympathise with the longing for more optimistic science fiction, and it's an approach to the future I enjoy writing (although any idea of space "exploration" needs very careful handling, as that is by no means a neutral concept even on a barren world), and maybe there's a dearth of that at the moment? I feel woefully under-read, both in contemporary SF and past SF, to say. I know there are other forms of science fiction that I find immensely valuable, including those about war (not necessarily propping up imperialist mindset), and I'd like a more thorough consideration of more modes than apocalypse vs. optimism.