We, as a species, have all our eggs in 1 basket. Why aren't we more serious about colonizing space?

Question

All it wouild take is one Earth crossing rock of sufficient size and humanity ceases to exist. Whether we colonize Mars or the moons of the jovian giants or even reach for the stars, something must be done. Yet, we seem abyssmally disinterested. After 1969, we have been STUCK in LEO for almost 40 years. Imagine if computers had had the same lack of progress.

Answer 1

1st-we lack the technology.by the time we reach a habitable planet we will all be dead.
2nd-mars and the Jupiter's moons have unfavorable conditions(they are not identical to earth)
3rd-How many unsuccessful missions have we had?a large number of people will never risk their lives just for the sake of attempting to colonize a planet the outcome of which is certainly negative.
now in an optimistic kind of way if we are to invent a technology that enables a human to travel in a space craft at a speed of 0.99c.then it is possible that we can colonize planets many light years away which have favorable conditions for living.(the people on the craft will live since there is time dilation,so it will not take them too long to reach,in their time frame).

Answer 2

People are afraid and highly uninformed as to how space really is. As the first poster stated there could be life in the moon-if this indicates the normal level of public information that means people are just disinterested. There are huge quantities of resources out their for the taking just in our solar system. But the long distances and long time frames make the public lose interest. Also, the lack of immediate returns discourages many businesses looking to make a quick buck.

We need to find some way to shorten the time it takes to travel the solar system by new propulsion like antimatter or even something more exotic like wormholes. ITs theoretical now but who knows what we will develop?

I'm all for human expansion into the solar system. I believe our first priority should be human survival and success. Then we should concern ourselves with environmental concerns.
If those that believe our mere existence hurts the environment have their way we will never see the stars. With people like that, who needs invading aliens?

Answer 3

Humans take every opportunity for granted.They wait too long to fix problems.That way things are getting worse for us...We've got green house gas,global warming,wild fires,endangered animals and plants and etc.And there hasn't been any kind of "BIG MOVEMENTS" to not fix but to get rid of these problems.You see that people ONLY REACT WHEN THE PROBLEMS START TO EFFECT THEM.But only when it's in notice,like the great Depression at least half a century or so on ago.That effected most of the world,including the US.Since things are barely noticeable to people now,they won't bother because it doesn't "SEEM" to be effecting them.Until later,then everyone over reacts and goes crazy practically...And you know the rest.Anyway,the point I'm trying to prove is this,people don't see a reason to get to space quickly and learn more about what is beyond and ourselves in the universe.As I heard,the human race may be forced into space by drastic changes on our planet,like the problems we previously have growing on and on.Till it's almost too late,then more problems will hatch,also as I learn,humans are lazy and messy about things.So well just keep developing technology that could one day fail.Well, one day humans will not know what to do.And so on and so on.Sorry if it sounds like I'm answering some other more complex question,but I'm just telling why all this time humans have been slow about things.Anyway,humans are taking everything for granted.More developed societies in the world would be nothing if we didn't have technology,just think of how lost we'd be.Anyway,about your question,humans are just to slow about things,it may be too late one day to do things,so people should learn how to live in space and get pass it's problems(like radiation,and cosmic explosions).But right now,not very many out of the world are into that idea,except for NASA and other space travel programs.Only time will tell when people finally take that step.

Answer 4

At this time, it simply doesn't make economic sense to build colonies in space or on other planets. Moreover, while space might be a nice place to visit, being cooped up in a space colony would be more restrictive than being locked up in prison. It's really not a very attractive proposition over the long haul.

Give it time. The cost of launching stuff into orbit has to come *way* down before it becomes feasible to build any space colony worthy of living in. I'm confident that it will eventually happen, but for now, the cost of boosting all the materials into earth orbit (or beyond) is, well, "astronomical".

For now, it would be cheaper, safer and easier to build subterranean colonies that could survive an asteroid impact, so let's not pretend that the impact scenario really is what motivates you, aye?

Answer 5

Well I think there's several reasons why humans haven't pushed the envelope of our potential when it comes to exploring space. While I agree with you, if even half of my speculation as to why it's not happening is right, then we won't be going anywhere until humanity start's to open up its collective mind.

First, like me you're probably American. Not a lot of countries in the world have the social stability, financial resources, and education to take an active interest in space. This applies for some of the more developed, industrialized countries as well. Japan, China, Russia, and France (a little) I think are the only countries that are developed that are really showing any kind of interest. And inspite of some small-scale international cooperation when launching probes or conducting studies on shuttle flights, there aren't enough missions going on, and not nearly enough interest. The only reason many governments spend anything of space is for some kind of satelite, as studies just don't pay off at this point.

Then there's personal beliefs and religions.

Personal beliefs: There is so much potential for the further advancement of our knowledge, abundant new resources once we can locate them and so much potential for new homes out there, that the benefits of pushing for exploration should be a no-brainer. However many people just don't care about anything in space. They think we should concentrate on making earth better. They have a valid concern. I'm not sure if they're aware however, that what NASA spends is a tiny fraction of the annual budget. If we as a country spent 1/4 of what is being spent on the war in Iraq every day, we'd probably have made it to Mars by now. DID YOU KNOW THAT IF EVERY COUNTRY ON EARTH CONSUMED RESOURCES AT THE RATE THE U.S. DOES THAT WE WOULD NEED 3 EARTHS TO JUST SUPPORT OURSELVES? The truth is that if we don't make a change, then at somepoint something's gotta give. Moving day might be coming sooner than we think.

Religion: Most of the world belongs to some faith and many of them want to believe that we are special and all alone in this mind-blowingly huge universe. There are several examples easily researchable on wikipedia of advancement being held back be nonprogressive groups with influence. These beliefs, while they have been great for providing ethics and morality for early humanity, are also responsible for some of the closed-mindedness and, fear and condemndation of that which we don't understand that we see exhibited on a daily basis.

Finally there is our current level of technology. I'm starting to wonder if NASA isn't becoming stagnant. There has been no progress since we went to the moon. And with what we've been using to go into space, it's not a suprise that we can't get out of our own backyard. Rocket fuel is not an efficient means of propulsion in the vastness of space. NASA should understand this yet I hear of no real attempt to improve. The "new" shuttles that they intend to start using in the next 5-10 years are still rocket-propelled. You just do not get good space-mileage with rocket fuel, and NASA needs to take that to heart. Also those shuttles are as fragile as tinfoil pie plates. No protection from cosmic rays that can be deadly, and the tiniest pebble traveling at high velocity will pass right through a shuttle and can destroy one if it hits the wrong place. And then of course we'd need a way to survive traveling at high speeds without becoming a stain on the wall. Finally, and most importantly, we need artificial gravity. Astronauts today run on treadmills for hours while in space to keep their bone density and muscle mass up, but even after only a few months, they are too weak and frail to stand under their own weight when they first return to earth. After long periods, your heart gets weaker, and pretty soon you couldn't survive in normal gravity anymore. We'd need to have gravity for long trips.

So while I'd love to see us advance in this direction. I have trouble seeing it happen when I think about all of that. We have a long way to go.

Answer 6

Because for the time being it is the only viable place to live. You mention colonizing the Jovian giants, but those planets are huge gas balls with no solid surface, poor choices. Perhaps Venus with its 750 degree temperatures, atmosphere of sulfuric acids, and pressures that crush rocks. Developing computers for speed is a much easier task than colonizing other planets for a host of reasons.

Answer 7

Because, without some new, advanced, propulsion system, human travel beyond Mars isn't very practical. Mabye in the future!

Answer 8

I think the problem is people are scared, they are scared to take a chance and change our way of life. I don't think mankind was simply put here to stay in our own sandbox when there's an entire backyard to play in, I say let's explore.

Answer 9

Some things are just meant by nature, and humans were meant to only populate Earth. It would take a lot of research, money, and manpower to create desirable living conditions on the moon, and it wouldn't be worth it. Are we that great of a species that we need to be saved anyway? What if there is life on the moon and we take it over, or if humans pollute the moon and something happens to Earth because of it--- it would just be a bad idea.