Posted on May 4, 2017
Stephen Hawking will test his theory that humans must leave Earth. Let’s hope he’s wrong.
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There you have it, fresh from perhaps the big "L" of the liberals, that humanity has maybe a century to find a new habitable planet for its home. What would happen if the astronomers do not find such a planet, never mind developing the abilities of building a spacecraft "ark" that would traverse a large segment of humanity from this world to an alternate world?
It’s no secret that physicist Stephen Hawking thinks humans are running out of time on planet Earth.
In a new BBC documentary, Hawking will test his theory that humankind must colonize another planet or perish in the next 100 years. The documentary Stephen Hawking: Expedition New Earth, will air this summer as part of BBC’s Tomorrow’s World season and will showcase that Hawking's aspiration "isn’t as fantastical as it sounds," according to BBC.
For years, Hawking has warned that humankind faces a slew of threats ranging from climate change to destruction from nuclear war and genetically engineered viruses.
While things look bleak, there is some hope, according to Hawking. Humans must set their sights on another planet or perish on Earth.
“We must also continue to go into space for the future of humanity,” Hawking said during a 2016 speech at Britain’s Oxford University Union.
In the past, Hawking has suggested that humankind might not survive "another 1000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet.” The BBC documentary hints at an adjusted timeframe for colonization, which many may see in their lifetime. LTC Stephen F. SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth LTC Stephen C. SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SGT Michael Thorin Maj Marty Hogan SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC Douglas Bolton COL Mikel J. Burroughs TSgt Joe C.
It’s no secret that physicist Stephen Hawking thinks humans are running out of time on planet Earth.
In a new BBC documentary, Hawking will test his theory that humankind must colonize another planet or perish in the next 100 years. The documentary Stephen Hawking: Expedition New Earth, will air this summer as part of BBC’s Tomorrow’s World season and will showcase that Hawking's aspiration "isn’t as fantastical as it sounds," according to BBC.
For years, Hawking has warned that humankind faces a slew of threats ranging from climate change to destruction from nuclear war and genetically engineered viruses.
While things look bleak, there is some hope, according to Hawking. Humans must set their sights on another planet or perish on Earth.
“We must also continue to go into space for the future of humanity,” Hawking said during a 2016 speech at Britain’s Oxford University Union.
In the past, Hawking has suggested that humankind might not survive "another 1000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet.” The BBC documentary hints at an adjusted timeframe for colonization, which many may see in their lifetime. LTC Stephen F. SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth LTC Stephen C. SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SGT Michael Thorin Maj Marty Hogan SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC Douglas Bolton COL Mikel J. Burroughs TSgt Joe C.
Stephen Hawking will test his theory that humans must leave Earth. Let’s hope he’s wrong.
Posted from usatoday.com
Space
Liberal
Posted 7 y ago
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I concur with you SSgt Robert Marx. In some areas physicist Stephen Hawking has demonstrated wisdom especially in experimental physics.
On the other hand, when he weighs in on social or moral areas he tends to be foolish IMHO.
On the other hand, when he weighs in on social or moral areas he tends to be foolish IMHO.
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SSgt Robert Marx
In my opinion he crossed the line on civil discourse many years ago. He brandishes people of faith as illusory and believers of fantasy. He went so far as to start a group that assists former Christian ministers who renounce the faith. To be charged with supporting myths does not affect me as much as social ostracism and costing academicians their jobs due to faith in God.
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SSgt Robert Marx Those leaving will be those traveling to MARS for the first time in the 2030 time range - this will be a 10 to 20 year mission if it succeeds, so they all need to be young and healthy. In my opinion, we should have started a colony on the Moon already and claimed a portion of it as United States territory. I can tell you that China and Europe are already talking and planning to set up a station on the Moon, so should we. Therefore, PVT James Strait is correct it will be only a handful to begin with, but if they can reporduce the oxygen, water, and food to sustain there will be more in the future. Just my Star Trek imagination at work LOL!
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
PVT James Strait - Roger that and I believe everything that is on the Internet too James! LOL - Good Morning by the way!
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SSgt Robert Marx
Mars' atmosphere is entirely too thin for terrestrial plants to flourish. Hothouses would do the trick. The Martian topography is quite rugged and I have read that it is feasible to build adobe structures without kilns. I have read from a few books that claim terraforming Mars is feasible by introducing terrestrial bacteria and other one-celled organisms. A true feasibility study, probably under international review, would be necessary to try to determine if Mars would be receptive to terraforming. There could be Martian lifeforms of a unique sort that have not been identified or even encountered. An environmental impact survey might determine if bringing earth life forms to Mars would be wise. Altering Martian development might not be in human interests. If lifeforms have developed over there, they would best be left alone.
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This is one of those things that sounds better in your head. What Hawking proposes is possible in a sci-fi movie. In real life, the odds of successfully transplanting humanity to another planet would be statistically indistinguishable from zero.
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SSG (Join to see)
Totally agree, right now using solar sails, man could only achieve one fourth the speed of light, at that speed to leave this solar system and make it to the next closest would take hundreds of years. Until someone comes up with technology like stars wars or star trek we are not going any farther than this solar system.
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SSgt Christopher Brose
SSG (Join to see) - You are absolutely right, but that only begins to scratch the surface of reasons why the endeavor would fail. We would have to design something that would absolutely not fail for hundreds of years (good luck with that!). We would need to either put people in suspended animation and then successfully reanimate them in hundreds of years, or have people live their lives en route to their destination -- and that means having enough air and water for the trip, and being 100% efficient in the recycling of both; providing their own food/clothing/medical care/etc., including some way of not having their bones deteriorate in zero gravity. They would need to have a sufficiently bio-diverse ecology both in the beginning and at the end of their trip, including plants and animals (Noah's ark was freaking HUGE, and Noah didn't have to worry about air or water), and of course the bone deterioration in zero gravity applies to animals also.
At the end of their trip, they would need a way to get all those people and plants and animals to the surface of whatever planet they end up at -- either in one trip, or in multiple trips, meaning they would have to get from the surface back into orbit on their own. They would need to be able to adjust the atmosphere of an entire planet, and they would need to set up a shelter big enough to house all those plants and animals until such time as the atmosphere is breathable.
And they would need to hope like crazy that the assumptions going into putting this whole thing together are correct (a planet with something close to earth's gravity, at the right distance from a sun that provides the right amount of the right kinds of light and radio energy, with an earth-like atmosphere and water.) If they get to where they're going and discover there's no water, their only option is to go somewhere else and hope there's water at their new destination. (If they happen to luck out and find a planet that has both water and breathable air, they'd better hope nothing there is waiting to kill them.)
And of course, all this is going to cost us. We need to pay for making all this stuff, and by "we", I mean the United States with a few other countries contributing a pittance. We would need to get all the stuff into orbit and assemble it there, and hope it doesn't get destroyed by space junk before it ever even leaves earth's orbit.
I could go on and on and on, but you get the idea.
At the end of their trip, they would need a way to get all those people and plants and animals to the surface of whatever planet they end up at -- either in one trip, or in multiple trips, meaning they would have to get from the surface back into orbit on their own. They would need to be able to adjust the atmosphere of an entire planet, and they would need to set up a shelter big enough to house all those plants and animals until such time as the atmosphere is breathable.
And they would need to hope like crazy that the assumptions going into putting this whole thing together are correct (a planet with something close to earth's gravity, at the right distance from a sun that provides the right amount of the right kinds of light and radio energy, with an earth-like atmosphere and water.) If they get to where they're going and discover there's no water, their only option is to go somewhere else and hope there's water at their new destination. (If they happen to luck out and find a planet that has both water and breathable air, they'd better hope nothing there is waiting to kill them.)
And of course, all this is going to cost us. We need to pay for making all this stuff, and by "we", I mean the United States with a few other countries contributing a pittance. We would need to get all the stuff into orbit and assemble it there, and hope it doesn't get destroyed by space junk before it ever even leaves earth's orbit.
I could go on and on and on, but you get the idea.
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