This was inspired by the NASA discussion, but goes beyyond it and off topic, so I decided to start another thread on it. Looking forward to this discussion, personally.
If the human race is to survive beyond the life of our planet, and sun... We must move out to other planets. I am of the opinion that earth will soon be entering the final stages as a garden world. As the sun ages, it will expand, and grow hotter, cooking the earth. We must move out. Here are the technologies we REALLY need to start advancing, and investing in. I will say that my basic understanding comes from basic reading, and a game that it turns out the writers really did their research on.
1. Faster-than-light Communications. Voyager 2 is only 22 billion kilometers from earth... That is 12.8hour one way trip for radio signal. If we for example explore that Gleise 581g that is 20 light years away.... Even if we could get there, which would take us at least 80-100 years by conventional means, any form of communication with earth would take 40 years round trip with traditional radio signals. This is clearly not sufficient.
A few games have featured it, and I've done a little reading (not much, because I don't understand much about quantum physics) but there is what is called a Quantum entanglement communications. My understanding at the most basic level is that you have two sub-atomic particles in an entangled state (Yes, mass effect 2 really provided the best explanation). When the state of one is changed, the other changes to the opposite. No matter the distance between them. This would allow the transfer of data of one quantum bit at a time. This is not a high bandwith system. If anyone is familiar with the book "enders game" the Ansible is essentially one of these.
2. Faster than light travel, or at least close to it. Something like in Mass Effect games would be ideal, the ability to relay mass instantaneously across thousands of light years. Of course that is pure fiction, but from my limited understanding, the concept behind it is sound. If you can lower the mass of an object low enough, you can accelerate it to and beyond the speed of light.
3. Terraforming- This will likely need to take all kinds of forms. To terraforming mars into a nitrogen-oxygen mix atmosphered, to producing meaningful quantities of water. other planets might already have some form of useful environment in place, and would require little change.
Now, again my understanding is very limited and I could be wrong on most everything, but I don't think I am... My point is that we as a species need to start combining resources. Not just for our survival in the long run, but to help with overcrowding for example.
If the human race is to survive beyond the life of our planet, and sun... We must move out to other planets. I am of the opinion that earth will soon be entering the final stages as a garden world. As the sun ages, it will expand, and grow hotter, cooking the earth. We must move out. Here are the technologies we REALLY need to start advancing, and investing in. I will say that my basic understanding comes from basic reading, and a game that it turns out the writers really did their research on.
1. Faster-than-light Communications. Voyager 2 is only 22 billion kilometers from earth... That is 12.8hour one way trip for radio signal. If we for example explore that Gleise 581g that is 20 light years away.... Even if we could get there, which would take us at least 80-100 years by conventional means, any form of communication with earth would take 40 years round trip with traditional radio signals. This is clearly not sufficient.
A few games have featured it, and I've done a little reading (not much, because I don't understand much about quantum physics) but there is what is called a Quantum entanglement communications. My understanding at the most basic level is that you have two sub-atomic particles in an entangled state (Yes, mass effect 2 really provided the best explanation). When the state of one is changed, the other changes to the opposite. No matter the distance between them. This would allow the transfer of data of one quantum bit at a time. This is not a high bandwith system. If anyone is familiar with the book "enders game" the Ansible is essentially one of these.
2. Faster than light travel, or at least close to it. Something like in Mass Effect games would be ideal, the ability to relay mass instantaneously across thousands of light years. Of course that is pure fiction, but from my limited understanding, the concept behind it is sound. If you can lower the mass of an object low enough, you can accelerate it to and beyond the speed of light.
3. Terraforming- This will likely need to take all kinds of forms. To terraforming mars into a nitrogen-oxygen mix atmosphered, to producing meaningful quantities of water. other planets might already have some form of useful environment in place, and would require little change.
Now, again my understanding is very limited and I could be wrong on most everything, but I don't think I am... My point is that we as a species need to start combining resources. Not just for our survival in the long run, but to help with overcrowding for example.
