So
Lifer
- Jul 2, 2001
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Originally posted by: DrPizza
Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Humans need to explore space in order to develop technologies to ensure human existence beyond this planet's usefulness.
And you're fooling yourself, there wouldn't be any less hot air in P&N, it would belched in a different direction![]()
Technologically, we're not even close to having the required technologies to make any difference at all in ensuring human existence by colonizing elsewhere. At present time, there's simply no additional payoff to sending humans vs. robots to explore. We're decades upon decades away from the technologies needed to successfully inhabit other worlds. Lets look at one technology that will be incredibly important: energy. Right now, we're pretty much stuck with solar energy & perhaps some nuclear energy. Why not put the money (which isn't a limitless resource) into something like fusion research. Fusion power could/would change what would be a survival type of situation on the moon into a situation where humans could thrive in that environment.
It takes a LOT of energy to build up a base. We can squander even more of our resources here, taking us ever so slightly closer to our planet's uselessness, else we could try to develop better technologies in the present which would make the steps of settling on the Moon, Mars, much easier. How much more energy does it take to get a human into orbit on, say, the Space Shuttle than it would take with something like a space elevator (if/when the technology matures enough?)
If you were willing to irradiate part of nevada, I could build you a spaceship the size of a small city that could fly to mars in a weekend. The thing could reasonably be used as an interstellar colony ship if we had the cajones that they did in the 1500s. If we wanted to build a self sustaining base on the moon, once we got it bootstrapped, the only thing we'd really need to ship in is bulk carbon. The only reason human exploration has been expensive is because we've been taking half measures and cutting corners.
