Do you think that the human race will have to expand into space to survive??

Question

I just read an article where Stephen Hawking said "The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth." Do you think this is possible and if so, how long do you think it will be until we can have colonies set up on other planets that will be able to survive without the aid from Earth?

Link to article if you're interested:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/STEPHEN_HAWKING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-06-13-07-50-21

Answer 1

It is possible Hawking is correct, he is after all is said and done, a genius. However, not even Hawking can predict the future. But let's not forget...we are the only planet in our solar system with life (as we know it, in all its varieties.) If we destroy our varied ecosystems with pollutants, how long can we ourselves survive? Not long. Our ecosystems are dying even now. Certainly they will not last long enough for us, or for even our great grandchildren to find a way off the planet. And if we were to escape the earth, we would be taking our arrogance and our eco-unfriendly attitudes with us to our 'new world', and we would destroy that as well, given the assumption, and it's a big one, that we could find another world as hospitable as this one has been. Let's face it, we live on a living, breathing jewel in the universe. We have no respect for this planet, what hope do we have on another? It boils down to this, take of what you have today, right now and tomorrow will take care of itself and you.

Answer 2

We shouldn't as we will be like rats multiplying through out the universe until there is no place left.
I would and build on Mars, Moon and some Asteroids that are stationery.
As I'm a human I say expand into space to survive.
But we will just fill up the universe until there is nothing left.
Then we will all die out from the other worlds, there is absolutely no point.
I am a human and I have feelings. But other creatures in the universe need a space to live too.
We will build on Mars and destroy a process of life being created at the first steps.
Colonies can survive for unlimited time depending how much food, drink and entertainment they store.
We can go it's just the matter of war taking all the funds.
But for an answer the human race will and can survive on.

Answer 3

When we start to terra-form Mars, and deploy O2 machines, a thin atmosphere will form after 25 Earth solar years. At the 50 year point, people will be able to work outside for several hours a day - they will require full space gear in cluding O2. At 75 years, people will be able to withstand the Martian elements for several hours a day with little protection. An O2 tank and mask will be needed. At 85 years, the water cycle begins. Before a century is out, Mars will be as liveable and breathable as Earth. The gravity will be noticeably different - but not unlike artificial gravities on Earth; i.e., wieghtlessness rooms inwhere the gravity can be increased to a Martian standard. Experiemental subject adapted almost instantly. Yes, we will eventually colonize other planets, and presumably Mars will be first.

Answer 4

Don't get thinking you had better put on your space suit just yet. Actually there could be one hell of a disaster at any time. Millions of people and most everything else could be gone. It has happened before and most likely will again. As before not everything will be gone for ever. Man will survive if any thing does. Not all but enough to get this mess going all over again. Some believe this has happened to man before. It is possible but I haven't seen any proof of this. There is a pandemic coming soon as well that will kill a huge number of people. Probably in your life time.

Answer 5

Yeah I read the same article a few minutes ago. He had a good point, being that IF man (and that’s a big IF) survives the next 100 years, it will be very plausible to have a station on either the moon or mars. I just wish that I could be around to see such an endeavor.

Answer 6

Well .. if we are to survive into the eternal future the answer is, of course, yes. The earth will eventually be semi-sterilized by a comet or asteroid again .. may be millions of years hence but it will happen ... and then there is the entire fact that our sun will eventually burn out ... so the answer is absolutly yes.

Answer 7

I don't really agree with Stephen Hawking's logic, but at the rate our population's increasing now, we will have to either go into random genocide/birth control, or expand into new "homes" as Hawking so nicely puts it.

Answer 8

the only possible answer is that yes the world is going to destory life on earth.... but the world isnt going to come to an end.. its just gonna destory the earth... the reason is behind global warming the glaciers are melting and the water level is rising and because of that 20% of the earth's land is going to be under water and if your thinking of pumping it out,, you cant because if you pump out the water the water has to go somewhere and it will sallow another part of a country..... we'll have to make many space stations instead of going to another planet because making a space station above earth isALOT easier because how in the name of hell are you going to take million of tons of water to Mars and come back the whole trip (round trip) is about 16 months, 8 months to go to mars and 8 months to come back.... instead lets just make space stations above earth so you only travel for 2 days gather up the water and come back and also transfering humans to another planet is going to be a great deal of problem...instead of long trips have short trips.... and plus just one impact from an asteriod will wipe out everything on earth because just imagine one hyrdrogen bomb is enough to take out 1/4 of the U.S.A. then just imagine the impact of 1 billion hyrdrogen bombs. and one of the guys said if we do make thingsin space were going to take the war well ofcourse but the governement could deal with tat on earth instead of just fighting on space stations fight on the earth where you have resources and not kill the humans on board the space stations....

Answer 9

Life is expanding. The earth can only home so many people.

Answer 10

I think there's a meduim posiblity or maybe a Little higher of destroying teh earth.Its Space or Execution