Is off-world colonization a reality, or just sci-fi?

[Red Squirrel]

From a technical point I think it is possible, but economical and politics would probably stop it from actually happening.

Also to make it worthwhile it needs to be done in a way that very little earth resources are required such as water and oxygen. If you need to keep feeding this new place with resources from Earth then it defeats the whole purpose, it would need to be self sustainable.

 

[Jeff7]

Yeah. Huge weight savings there. You don't just save money on moving full sized humans, you don't necessarily need a life support system.

One issue is how well do robots raise humans, especially given the unknowns of the destination planet. You can certainly do trial runs on Earth, ignoring some ethical issues. (No problem finding volunteer zygote/fetus donors though, hi MTV )

I'm figuring that this is going to be a good ways into the future. We'd need autonomous robots that could mine raw materials and produce more of themselves, then also create shelters, farmland, power sources, and also secure sources of water. I'm thinking we could have adequate androids by that time.

For something this big, you could possibly do the launch from the moon. Smaller gravity well, etc.

Sure, less gravity at the Moon, but I guess then your options are still a) Launch all the stuff you'd need to the Moon, then launch something else from there, or b) Set up full-scale factories there that are built from mining raw materials from the Moon, then build and launch from there.

As for the target planet... I'd at least want to have some assurance it had an atmosphere, and preferably not one like Venus's. Otherwise the mission ends pretty quickly, Unless you've somehow packed enough fuel to go the the next star.

So let's fire up Project Longshot already and start flinging probes at nearby star systems.

 

[Ichinisan]

It isn't. Earth has those temps. I guess you're saying that Earth isn't habitable?

-100 is totally within our abilities to make a habitable sanctuary and, from there, were can work on other adaptations while we try to terraform the atmosphere over generations to increase surface temps.

An exo-planet with temps far more extreme than that could be described as "the most Earth-like ever discovered!" until we knew more. If you think otherwise, you're kidding yourself. When they describe a planet in the habitable zone, they are saying that it COULD have temps similar to Earth. There are a lot of factors that they wouldn't know, which is why it's a whole zone and not a more specific orbit for the star's level of energy output. Is it geologically active? Does the atmosphere have an appropriate greenhiuse effect? Where exactly is it in the zone?

Mars is always losing atmosphere. It was far different when it had oceans (assuming it did). Back then, it was more Earth-like than Earth, so we need to find an Earth-like planet that we can reach during or before it's period of being habitable. At this point, Mars isn't so far gone that it can't be terraformed for long enough for us to adapt to some of the more permanent changes.

We might engineer people with lower body temperatures, lower metabolosm, able to breath with less oxygen, and more tolerance for cold (penguin genes, anyone? requiring very little water specifically to deal with a terraformed Mars.

Terra and genetic-forming.

With no molten iron core to produce a strong magnetic field, we have a problem. I think we should crash another planet-size mass of the right material (maybe half the size of Mars) into it, liquefy the planet's core and give it a magnetic field. Would it take thousands or millions of years to reach a habitable temperature with stable geology?

 

[Leros]

At some point we have to. Either we're going to kill ourselves on Earth or it's going to get overpopulated. Colonizing other worlds is probably the only way to ensure humanity's long-term survival.

 

[Red Squirrel]

We could also build a deathstar but the whitehouse denied that.

If the US government wont do it maybe the Canadian government will. We will make sure it has a Tim Horton's and Burger King at every sector.

 

[Leros]

We could also build a deathstar but the whitehouse denied that.

If the US government wont do it maybe the Canadian government will. We will make sure it has a Tim Horton's and Burger King at every sector.

Poutine will become a space delicacy.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Poutine will become a space delicacy.

Hmm wonder how a deep fryer would work in space. This needs to be attempted, for science.

Of course this deathstar would have it's own gravity, as long as nobody screws around with the exhaust port.

 

[CZroe]

With no molten iron core to produce a strong magnetic field, we have a problem. I think we should crash another planet-size mass of the right material (maybe half the size of Mars) into it, liquefy the planet's core and give it a magnetic field. Would it take thousands or millions of years to reach a habitable temperature with stable geology?

I wasn't even talking about terraforming there. I was talking about making a sanctuary, like Vostok Station in Antarctica.

I don't think they'd bother stabilizing the temperatures. If they could make a thicker atmosphere that would stop bleeding off into space they could increase the oxygen level and greenhouse effect to stabilize it a little, but it's easier to meet half-way with genetic engineering (make people tolerate cold better with lower body temps and bring temps up closer to that).

 

[CZroe]

Poutine will become a space delicacy.

Forget the "2,000-calorie pill."

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I wasn't even talking about terraforming there. I was talking about making a sanctuary, like Vostok Station in Antarctica.

I don't think they'd bother stabilizing the temperatures. If they could make a thicker atmosphere that would stop bleeding off into space they could increase the oxygen level and greenhouse effect to stabilize it a little, but it's easier to meet half-way with genetic engineering (make people tolerate cold better with lower body temps and bring temps up closer to that).

Even with designer humans, maintaining the brain's cognitive functions in those temps, is going to be a hell of a hurdle.

 

[ultimatebob]

It's been a reality for 30+ years. We've had the technology available forever. Just no financial incentive. We only went to the moon to beat Russia to it. What's the point now?

I'd love for us to do it, but we're too busy blowing people up in other countries to invest in that type of stuff. Also, yay for Elon Musk & others doing space programs on their own :thumbsup:

Now that Russia hates us again, maybe we can start a three way space race to Mars with them and China.

My money is on China getting there first, since they basically took over most of our electronics manufacturing for us.

 

[CZroe]

Even with designer humans, maintaining the brain's cognitive functions in those temps, is going to be a hell of a hurdle.

What point are you talking about? I'm saying that it's a lot easier to maintain a 50F body temp in sub-zero temps than it is to maintain 98.6F. You might be able to get away with a fancy jacket if the terra-formed temps could only meet you half-way to temps normal humans can survive. Also, something that keeps your blood from freezing in your extremeties at sub-zero temps would help survival for short-term exposure. I was never talking about engineering a sub-zero body temperature.

"Fancy jacket" meaning something between what we wear in Antarctica and a space suit with a life support system.

 

[DigDog]

Wrong. It's absolutely possible right now and the technology is 40 years old.

http://youtu.be/lonCo-fUUUU

Mars Direct could have taken us to Mars 25 years ago using 1980s space tech. The plan was developed by Martin-Marietta and NASA.

We could go to Mars right now for cheap if our leaders would let us.

what he meant was:
"Possible, but not with our current social situation".

we could have colonized mars in the 60s if we really wanted to. people would have died, money would have been spent, but we would have made it.
today it wold be easier, but we don't have the drive for it. even to go to the moon, we needed the cold war and the idea that it meant something.

sure, going to mars would give us some pretty cool data and a head start for what's gonna happen in the next millenium, but from a $$$ point of view, we don't really need to go there and we know it.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

what he meant was:

we could have colonized mars in the 60s if we really wanted to.

no, we couldn't have. we "really wanted" to accomplish a small fraction of that by going to the moon, and barely succeeded.

 

[gorcorps]

Now that Russia hates us again, maybe we can start a three way space race to Mars with them and China.

My money is on China getting there first, since they basically took over most of our electronics manufacturing for us.

Yeah, China would probably whoop up on everyone

To paraphrase Louis CK, there's nothing you can't do if you don't give a shit about people. Just throw human suffering at it until it's finished.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

What point are you talking about? I'm saying that it's a lot easier to maintain a 50F body temp in sub-zero temps than it is to maintain 98.6F. You might be able to get away with a fancy jacket if the terra-formed temps could only meet you half-way to temps normal humans can survive. Also, something that keeps your blood from freezing in your extremeties at sub-zero temps would help survival for short-term exposure. I was never talking about engineering a sub-zero body temperature.

"Fancy jacket" meaning something between what we wear in Antarctica and a space suit with a life support system.

I was not talking about sub zero temps either. Our core temp has very little tolerance for digression. Since many life functions are tied to it. Accomplishing what you suggest, well we would likely no longer be close to human at that point. Though nothing is impossible I suppose. The whole thing is just wild speculation anyways.

 

[Jeff7]

Even with designer humans, maintaining the brain's cognitive functions in those temps, is going to be a hell of a hurdle.

Engineer a skull that features a lining of silica aerogel, and some manner of decent heat exchanger for the blood passing through.
Or figure out different metabolic processes that can function adequately at colder temperatures.
If you've got access to the genetic code and have a proper compiler for it, might as well go ahead and write yourself a better life form. :awe:


Then give it an Internet connection so you can send in patches as bugs are found.

 

[dighn]

Engineer a skull that features a lining of silica aerogel, and some manner of decent heat exchanger for the blood passing through.
Or figure out different metabolic processes that can function adequately at colder temperatures.
If you've got access to the genetic code and have a proper compiler for it, might as well go ahead and write yourself a better life form. :awe:


Then give it an Internet connection so you can send in patches as bugs are found.

we can build colonies and station and try to terra-form planets, but in the end what will truly flourish outside earth will be organisms (using the term loosely) that are nothing like us physiologically. we are far too squishy and short-lived and high maintenance to really prosper out there. the best we can hope for is that they are just alternative substrates for humans rather than mindless self-propagating machinery.

 

[Insomniator]

Is there any real world theory or idea behind inertia dampeners like in ST so we don't die when going to light speed instantly? What about artificial gravity (that doesn't involve a giant spinning ring)?

I know teleportation and warp drive at least have some kind of real world idea behind them, even if its far fetched. Haven't heard much about these though.

 

[OverVolt]

I don't understand. One minute we're all supposed to drive electric cars using science and technology to save the world and the next minute we're supposed to be inhabiting mars. Do you have any idea how much energy it would take to inhabit mars or the moon?

Thats not science... thats not how any of this works! Whatever. Sci-fi imitating real life imitating sci-fi is starting to irk me considering all the underlying technology and infrastructure is not there nor is it a good use of energy.

 

[OverVolt]

At some point we have to. Either we're going to kill ourselves on Earth or it's going to get overpopulated. Colonizing other worlds is probably the only way to ensure humanity's long-term survival.

Lets start an Elysium pool I've got $5.

 

[Pocatello]

Now that Russia hates us again, maybe we can start a three way space race to Mars with them and China.

My money is on China getting there first, since they basically took over most of our electronics manufacturing for us.

If China really care about colonizing Mars, good for them. I hope somebody starts up the space race again.

 

[nettrader]

Russian Deputy PM said in April to colonize the Moon by 2030

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Engineer a skull that features a lining of silica aerogel, and some manner of decent heat exchanger for the blood passing through.
Or figure out different metabolic processes that can function adequately at colder temperatures.
If you've got access to the genetic code and have a proper compiler for it, might as well go ahead and write yourself a better life form. :awe:


Then give it an Internet connection so you can send in patches as bugs are found.

It may conclude YOU are a bug that needs patching. Sci fi writers have been providing cautionary tales about this for many decades, as we all well know.

It is all good, till they are gunning you down with 40 watt range phase plasma rifles, or launching all the nukes, or any number of other forms of mischief and mayhem.

We have been making gods for 1000s of years. We may yet, create gods, that will carry out the spanking of humanity, religious texts carry on about.

 

[Gibsons]

Russian Deputy PM said in April to colonize the Moon by 2030

Is there anywhere I can wager on that?