So who is ready to put on their spacesuit and fly?

Question

Hawking: 'We Must Leave Earth Or Die'

Mankind will need to evacuate Earth and live in space to ensure the survival of humanity, Professor Stephen Hawking has warned. The theoretical physicist said Star Trek-style rockets would be used to colonise suitable planets orbiting other stars. Prof Hawking said he wants to journey into space himself - and has asked Sir Richard Branson for help.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/01122006/140/hawking-must-leave-earth-die.html

Have we the technology, considering the disasters of the NASA Shuttles?

What other nations agree with the idea?

Are there other solutions too?

Asteroid defence system?

Ban all nuclear weapons?

Answer 1

First thing to do is identify the threat potential then work on how we can reduce the threat.

First line of defence is to build underground complexes where some of mankind could survive until the surface is fit to be repopulated which could take decades. We would need to develop the capacity to store food for long periods and to recylce everything including sewage and water.

We would also have to work on removing the threat which could mean permanent settlement in space, to spot and destroy/deflect any bodies likely to collide with Earth, on a quick response basis.

Settlement initially of the Moon and Mars would take place to preserve records, genetic material and people to jump start the population once the earth was fit to be repopulated.

Genetic modification of the human body would also be needed to survive in space ie. use some of the genetic structure of plants to enable the body to create energy though photo-synthesis. Other such changes could be used to enable humans to survive cosmic radiation etc and reduce body mass. The ultimate of course would be to create the thinking computers which are only a generation away to think for themseves and recreate the human race from DNA once the earth could support life.

I think the idea of using human DNA within a computer would be too scary for me but we are not too far from this possibilty.

Of couse you could always stick your fingers in your ears and your head up your nether regions!!!

Answer 2

We are not sufficiently advanced technologically to colonise other planets in the solar system, let alone journey to other stars. In short, the human race will be largely extinct within two hundred years. The scattered remnants will revert to previous modes of existence before they too eventually die out, just like the dinosaurs. The interesting question is: Is technology necessarily fatal to a species?

Answer 3

Good question, I think it is possible for us to develop a way to spread our civilisation - making sure we dont have all of our eggs in one basket!

an essential tool for space exploration is the space elevator - saves spending all that money on rocket fuel, that way we could even harvest the asteroid belt!

the only reason i consider this unlikely is the short sightedness of most of the human race, everyone knows these problems are on the way but they assume that the problem will be after they die - but what about their kids? or the grandkids?

the only solution is sacrifice, sacrifice of our decadent over indulgent ways and instead we can then pool our resources into developing the required measures.

plus ive always said if i win the lottery im buying a ticket on the virgin spacecraft

Answer 4

We almost have the technology to terraform Mars, but that's about it. That itself will take decades to do.

Asteroid defence is possible, but the only thing that can crack a large asteroid will be a nuclear device. (ICBM)

Banning nuclear weapons will not stop them being built. Chemical and Biological weapons are banned under the Geneva convention, but they are still being made. You can't un-invent something. nukes are here to stay, whether anyone likes it or not.

The only solution I can see is if we all actively recycle and stop wasting energy. We may have passed this point. I don't know, but we're not yet ready to colonise other worlds.

Answer 5

may be should we send only a couple of persons to a new earth (like eve and adam)
we can not send the whole planet to another one, so allmost all of the humans will be sacrified..

Answer 6

no not yet but i do believe that in few years time technology will take another leap so that NASA can travel further in space. you got to remember i thing, no one knows anything for sure.