Forums → WEPR → Planetary Expansion of the Human Race

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Red42321
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Red42321
11 posts
Nomad

What I'd like to discuss in this thread is theories related to how the human race will advance, in regards to planetary expansion. This is important, because eventually, Earth will no longer be able to sustain human life. Whether it be caused by man, or natural events, Earth won't last forever. If the human race wants to survive, we must expand sooner or later.

I believe the first step is the colonization of the Moon. Currently, NASA is planning to create a Lunar Outpost, sometime between the years of 2019 and 2024. If this goes as planned, the colonization of the Moon will take a great leap forward. It may still be decades after the event that normal, everyday citizens, are able to live on the moon, and even longer until the colonies are able to sustain themselves; but the base of all future operations will have been established. Additionally, the colonization of the Moon will set the system by which nations claim land on all planets.

Will humans work together as one unit to colonize the solar system, and eventually the universe; or will future planets work the same as Earth, fighting amongst itself; leading to disestablishment eventually. If the latter is chosen, and nations are established, will they stay in collaboration with the government of other planets, or will there be no alliance between the human race?

I apologize for getting a bit astray from my topic of Moon colonization, but it's all very interesting stuff.

The next step, after successfully establishing a stable, time weathered Lunar government, is to colonize another planet. Most likely Mars. Of course, Mars is more likely to allow humans to live a life comparable to what their Earth dwelling ancestors live; due to its ability to be terraformed, while we are unsure whether or not the Moon could be terraformed.

Here is an artists interpretation of what a terraformed Moon may look like.

http://www.cosmosfrontier.com/files/TerraformedMoonFromEarth2.jpg

And here is the possible terraformation (word?) process of Mars.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/MarsTransitionV.jpg

Note the resemblance to Earth that the terraformed Mars has.

Scientists have also considered the possibility of terraforming Venus, which would be a much more difficult challenge than either the Moon or Mars.

I'm not going to get into the details of the process (as it's quite complicated), but if you would like to learn more about it the information is online. I will show you pictures however, showing the change that would need to be made. Something to note, is that due to global warming, Venus is the warmest planet in our solar system. Could that be the fate of Earth, after abandoned? Only to be once again terraformed and restored by another species, or the descendants of the long forgotten inhabitants of Earth?

Current state of Venus
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/11/29/venus_narrowweb__300x336,0.jpg

Artists rendition of a terraformed Venus
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/TerraformedVenus.jpg/200px-TerraformedVenus.jpg

Please keep in mind, that this entire thread is based purely on theories, some person, and that in no event should my outline be thought of as the end all, be all, of human expansion. It's simply what I believe may or may not happen, depending on events of the next few decades, and century.

I know this is a very long OP, so I won't go into detail about other discussion points, but I would like to point them out.

*Effect on humans, as a species? How would living on these planets affect the evolutionary path of humans?
*Will humans be able to achieve planetary expansion at all? If so, how far do you believe we will get?
*Will an alliance be made between all planets? How likely is it that the human race grows apart and eventually disassociates with the others as evolution and time goes on?

Your views on the entire matter?

  • 109 Replies
Elitemagical
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Elitemagical
1,209 posts
Nomad

they could build gravity mechanisms


You mean dump a massive bit of rock on it?

plants supplied with light water and carbon dioxide and fill the atmoshphere


We could not survive in pure oxygen. We'd need carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen and some other bits and pieces.
Alpha791
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Alpha791
3,917 posts
Peasant

We could not survive in pure oxygen. We'd need carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen and some other bits and pieces.


I guess by then they could have figured a way to either convert matter or form gasses from molecules like building blocks in a pre-schoolers pass time
Elitemagical
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Elitemagical
1,209 posts
Nomad

It's possible, but nitrogen and oxygen are both elements, there are only so many atoms we can combine until we reach as much nitrogen and oxygen we can get. Carbon is also an element, and we can only collect a fixed amount of that, which we'd then have to combine with half the oxygen that we collect. Not to mention the great difficulty we have making atoms. It could be a very long time before we have the resources and technology to create the vital gases required for a survivable atmosphere.

ComradeWolf
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ComradeWolf
359 posts
Nomad

One thing in colonizing planets, would to make pods first. Because, even if we do advance in technology, and alot of stuff is automated, we would still need people to supervise it, just incase the process of all this bugs. And the problem with this is, were probably going to have to make a pod that can be a mini colony, with its own gravity system and life support systems. (Its simple to acheiev gravity, you make part of it spin so it rotates, generating gravity by movement.)

And you also got to have a greenhouse inside, for growing enough crops to substai nthat team. Not to mention weapons, incase whatever planet we land on has unfriendly life, or if some other group of humans become hostile. So we obviously have alot ot plan for, prepare for. It would be alot easier if we joined all the worlds space programs into one, single space program, so we all can beenfit fro mit, as Space should be a unified frontier for all of us. Mabye HUmanity will never stop punching each other, but perhaps we can sort out colonizing problems together. Just mabye.

That way things will run more smoothly, and you can cut out the weapons part by half.

balerion07
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balerion07
2,843 posts
Peasant

Ice caps... melting... Al Gore... Any of this ring a bell?
Al Gore uses much more energy at his gargantuan house than several American families combined and he has the AUDACITY to rant about global warming. Screw him.

Also, about the plants part, I'm pretty sure that plants do not need Co2 to survive, it's just nature's little added bonus. Though I could be wrong.


This is just funny.

Photosynthesis (from the Greek ÏÏÏο- [photo-], "light," and ÏÏνθεÏÎ¹Ï [synthesis], &quotlacing with.&quot is a process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight.

It would be alot easier if we joined all the worlds space programs into one, single space program, so we all can beenfit fro mit, as Space should be a unified frontier for all of us.


Then maybe the rest of the world should just stop and let the US handle it. After all who else has sent man to the moon? Do you see any flag up their besides ours? No, I didn't think so.
Green12324
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Green12324
4,102 posts
Peasant

Then maybe the rest of the world should just stop and let the US handle it. After all who else has sent man to the moon? Do you see any flag up their besides ours? No, I didn't think so.


Are you aware of the current financial state of NASA? If we left it solely up to them, humans would never get to the moon again; let alone past that. Really, it would be best if the entire world came together to create one large space program. There would be a lot fewer problems to worry about, once it gets going. Also, if multiple countries have colonies on another planet, and they go to war, there's a small chance any colony will come out of it in a state to continue the operation.
balerion07
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balerion07
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Peasant

It's not like NASA was setup to make money. But seriously, how much longer will it take Russia to get a moon man up there? So far the US could claim the moon as its own territory as no one else has ever made it there.

Green12324
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Green12324
4,102 posts
Peasant

It's not like NASA was setup to make money.


No, but it needs money to operate. The LCROSS mission that it just finished cost 79 million dollars, if I remember correctly. That's considered cheap for space missions.

But seriously, how much longer will it take Russia to get a moon man up there? So far the US could claim the moon as its own territory as no one else has ever made it there.


True, no one else has gotten to the moon, but plenty of other countries have gotten to space. So they might not have made as much progress, but a lot of space programs are in a better position for future progress than NASA.
balerion07
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balerion07
2,843 posts
Peasant

Name them. Explain why even have a position to possibly catch up with NASA much less pass it.

Green12324
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Green12324
4,102 posts
Peasant

Name them. Explain why even have a position to possibly catch up with NASA much less pass it.


Russian Federal Space Agency: Currently, they are working on increasing the budget, and developing new technologies. Within the next 6 years the NFSA plans to upgrade their current space shuttle, send a probe to Mars (thus catching up with NASA), developing new and upgraded rockets, and send a probe to Venus. Among other plans. Depending on how the financial state of both programs develop, the NFSA could be at more or less equal ground with NASA in 10 or 20 years.

Russia is the main competitor, however, there are other programs that I believe have the possibility to catch up. It depends on what happens to NASA and the economy of the US over time.

Brazilian Space Agency: The Brazilian Space Agency has been relatively unsuccessful for quite some time, however, they seem to be making progress currently. In 2006 they sent their first man to space, and are developing quite a few different types of rockets. It will take awhile before they catch up, but there's potential.

Lastly, the European Space Agency has potential. With 18 countries funding it, even if one country becomes unable to continue funding, the program can continue. If the economy of the US continues to drop and the budget of NASA is severely cut, there's no one to back it up. Additionally, the ESA was a forerunner in the space race before the US and Russia cut back the budget on their programs.
balerion07
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balerion07
2,843 posts
Peasant

Mars is not catching up. Try Pluto.

New Horizons is a NASA robotic spacecraft mission currently en route to Pluto. It is expected to be the first spacecraft to fly by and study Pluto and its moons, Charon, Nix, and Hydra. NASA may also approve flybys of one or more other Kuiper Belt Objects.

New Horizons was launched on 19 January 2006 directly into an Earth-and-solar-escape trajectory. It had an Earth-relative velocity of about 16.26 km/s or 58,536 km/h (10.10 mi/s or 36,373 mi/h) after its last engine shut down. Thus, it left Earth at the fastest speed ever recorded. It flew by Jupiter on 28 February 2007 at 540 UTC and Saturn's orbit on 8 June 2008 at 10:00 UTC. It will arrive at Pluto on 14 July 2015 then continue into the Kuiper belt.

Elitemagical
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Elitemagical
1,209 posts
Nomad

Is Balerion having fun copying from Wikipedia?

Green is right. NASA are having a hard financial time at the moment. All the countries around the world are about to catch up with NASA. Anyway, Pluto is a lot less catching up than Mars: the first person that can get on Mars can study useful things, Pluto is just a Kuiper Belt Object with next to zero purpose. We do not need to know about Pluto, it's a barren, cold, rock floating isolated on the fringes of the main solar system, Mars has potential, and therefore studying Mars is much more of a leap.

Somers
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Somers
1,531 posts
Nomad

I would love to live on the moon, but the mexicans would get there first. Their EVERYWHERE

balerion07
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balerion07
2,843 posts
Peasant

Anyway, Pluto is a lot less catching up than Mars: the first person that can get on Mars can study useful things,


They have not made the moon. A probe would be unmanned.
hobgoblin3
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hobgoblin3
455 posts
Nomad

One place in the solar sistem in way of forming life is the moon Titan it has atmosphere, climate, surface and rivers and seas, but not of water but of methane.

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