If we discovered an extrasolar inhabitable planet, would humanity attempt to visit it?

Question

I've been thinking about this much lately, and just curious on your thoughts. What would be most limiting? The technology? I know cost would be insane, but do you think it would be worth it to send humans to another planet to start a new civilization?

Answer 1

" Humanity wouldn't attempt to visit any planet without an invitation! It would be impolite"
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(And now a serious answer)
The interstellar distances are measure in light-year (LY). Mars light need about 20 minutes to reach The Earth, but a travel there would require about a year.
It is optimistic to believe that the distance to the nearer planet would be 20 LY.
It is very optimistic to believe that the distance to the nearer inhabitable planet would be 200 LY.
There are two ways to know if a planet is inhabitable:
1.- We detect a radio signal from a civilization. Maybe the aliens send you an invitation...
2.- We send a robotic mission there. In that case, the humanity need to launch many probes (maybe 100) to the stars with more possibilities, and then wait many centuries for the arrival of the results. Each probe would need technologies unknown or theoretical, to have the speed, the energy and the armor for those travels.

After the research time, we would need to prepare the Humanity Mission. This travel is very complex, because we have to launch ALL we need for some thousand years. This is like the Noah Ark, but with many generations during the trip. We need a ship with a closed ecosystem, factories to recycle all, energy sources, schools, hospitals, for hundred passengers, like a city....

Answer 2

Not any time soon. The reason is that we have no chance at all of traveling so far with the technology we have now. Our best manned space craft ever could only make it to the Moon, and we don't even do that any more. We could probably make a space craft capable of sending people to Mars, but it would be really hard and the trip would take almost a year, one way. The NEAREST star is about a MILLION times farther away than Mars, so even if there were a habitable planet orbiting that star, it would take over a million years to get there. Even if we could make a space craft that could operate that long, and a power source that would last that long without running out, people don't live long enough to make such a trip.

Answer 3

So far everyone has missed the point that extrasolar planets HAVE been discovered - about 200 at last count. They are to far away to see easily, and most have been discovered by detecting their effect on the host star(s).

So long as Einsteins theories stand, faster than light travel is a myth. However, physicist Paul Davies has written a book on how travel through worm holes (as also used by Carl Sagan in Contact) might be possible. This is abtruse theory however and without any way of yet being proved, let alone used.

So, travel is practically impossible. Enormous amounts of energy are needed to power a spaceship to even 10% light speed, let alone a speed which would be practical (10% LS is barely enough to explore our own solar system).

So, in answer to your question, no we would not automatically go. After all, we haven't. Geeze we can't even get to Mars!

Answer 4

The benefits of exploring almost always outweigh the costs. Look at what it cost Columbus to get to the new world. How much money has been generated by the new world?

How much did it cost to get to the Moon? How much science and technology has been returned. (Not from the Moon, but from the process of getting there.)

Do we bring back riches from space in the space shuttle? No. But those cuved things on top of truck cabs come from technology developed for the cap that fits over the engines of the space shuttle when it is carried on its 747. It cuts fuel costs by about 10%. Velcro was a space product. Crystal Lilght is based on space products.

I would go to another planet if given the choice. I would be a colonist. Read Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky or Farmer in the Sky and tell me you wouldn't go, too.

Answer 5

Yes. Of all the uncertainties there are about the galaxy, one thing that remains certain is the fact that our sun will not last forever. If humanity wants to continue its existence, then we will have to find other places to live at some point in the future.

Granted, we will probably have killed ourselves off long before that happens, or a huge meteor will do the job for us...but these are maybe's. The sun's eventual death is a "definitely."

There are limiting factors to our exploration (and habitation) of the rest of the universe, but traveling to other planets is not beyond our capabilities, despite their distance. So yeah, we'll have to over come the obstacles first.

Answer 6

Humanity? Pish posh! That's more than 6 billion people. Even if humanity wanted to visit this so-called "planet," there would be no way to get them all there. So that's a strike against the whole idea right off the bat. But I'm not trying to talk you out of it, mate. Heck, if JFK can walk on the moon, no idea is impossible. You'll figure things out. Because that's what made this country great.

Answer 7

It would, of course, take many centuries before man even thinks seiously about that, givin it's current development rate of technologies and such.

All the while, we're all so tempted to nuke each other out of existance. I do not think mankind will last long enough to develop the means to travel to it.

As I am far lacking in knowledge of economics, I wouldn't have a clue where to begin to guess at the cost of such a mission.

Answer 8

There is a reason we have yet to send humans to Mars. It is both extremely dangerous and expensive. Furthermore, Mars is close enough for us to judge its weather patterns. We would have no mean of knowing when the best time to arrive on this planet to avoid a possibly deadly surface storm.

Answer 9

I think it would be worth it, Maybe we could start new and not poison it like we are doing this planet. We could be closer to finding other forms of intelligent life too. the cost would be astronomical and the time to travel would be also. I'm sure this wouldn't even possible in the next 500 years, but wouldn't it be cool.....

Answer 10

I guess I would have to ask you a question in return...why would we want to do this? If the answer is our very survival, then yes, we would likely endure the terrible cost of moving to a new planet. If the answer was that we wanted a change of scenery, then the answer would likely be no.