Can humans populate the rest of the universe?

Answer 1

Do you know how big it even is? It is constantly expanding too. Maybe in 100 sextillion years, but we would all be dead by then. So the answer is no.

EDIT: It appears a few people don't know how big it actually is. We live in a solar system. There are around 200 billion-400 billion stars in our galaxy. There are hundreds of billions of galaxies. Now that's just the know universe. You do the math. Plus, we can't move faster than light and our galaxy is around 2000 light years across. It would take hundreds of thousands of years to travel across our galaxy. Then imagine the hundreds of billions more. It will hurt your head.

Answer 2

Well, human lifespans are short, and it takes a long time to travel to other star systems.

Maybe that will change in the future, but I'd think we need lifespans on the scale of 100,000 years. Using contemporary propulsion, it would take 80,000 to get to the nearest star, only four light years away. Some scientists, like Brian Greene, have speculated on the possibility of wormholes, which would reduce the distance and time needed to travel across the stars. But Star Trek is not realistic. Galaxies can move away from us and some are billions of light years away.

Chances are if there are intelligent civilizations elsewhere, we may never hear of the vast majority. Radio astronomy may be the only feasible way to communicate with such civilizations, as it travels at the speed of light.

Much of the universe is uninhabitable, another problem. While life probably exists elsewhere, our chances of reaching them are slim. It isn't just about transplanting a human in a metal gadget like you see in space shows. Humans are animals and part of their environment, and other lifeforms produce the air we breath. If humans could find out how to terraform planets, moons, or asteroids, then we could possibly expand from earth in the long term. Space travel will be necessary if humans want to avoid extinction in the next billion years (a short time on the cosmic scale).

I have no doubt that humans will populate the further reaches of our solar system, as these objects are within shooting distance. Some of Jupiter's moons look quite interesting, such as Europa, which may have liquid oceans under the cracked ice surface. Mars is also a nice bet, if you could avoid damage from radiation. I suggest that our first long-term facility should be on our moon. That would be a good launching point to earth and other places in the solar system.

Answer 3

One day in the future the human race will find another planet to populate,that is why they are building a space station.
So they can use it as a stepping stone,they know of other
star systems out in space ,but to launch from earth will exhaust their fuel too quickly.so taht is why we have so many
probes circling this planet Earth and in space,some are military,some are communications,but there are a lot in deep space that are searching for a planet such as this one with same enviromental make up and a sun.
I have heard that there is one such universe out in an other solar system that has a sun,and that it may contain a planet
like this one ,but the down side is that it will take man about
1,000,000 years to reach it from planet earth.

Answer 4

Why all this scepticism? Captain Kirk did it 40 years ago. But seriously, I get very annoyed with people who say we will never do this or that. Somehow they remind me of that official (I can't think of his name right now) who in the late 18hundreds proposed abolishing the patent office because everything that could be had been invented.
As to the whole Universe, since there are more stars out there than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world, no, I think not, but why does it have to be all or nothing?

Answer 5

While we don't have the technology to reach the outer-galaxy (let alone the rest of the universe), who knows. 100 years ago going to the moon was impossible science fiction.

Answer 6

Don't think we'll ever be able to populate our planetary systems, much less the rest of the universe..

Answer 7

Not if we have to cover the vast distances in a conventional way. It would just take too long.
We'd have to come up with a new way of getting from point a to point b.

Answer 8

Under 2 conditions:

1. We are able to make it habitable.

2. If we can spawn fast enough.

Answer 9

If we can get around that whole speed of light issue then maybe.

So far modern physics say its doubtful.

Answer 10

The whole thing? Very doubtful.