UFO's... What do you think?

[xtn]

With our current means of travel it would take at least one generation of time, maybe two generations to reach the nearest Galaxy that might or might not have an inhabitable planet. We are probably at least one generation, maybe two generations from developing the logistical ability to survive in space long enough to make the trip.

Um... no, and no.

The nearest known galaxy to ours is 25,000 light years away from us. At Voyager speeds, it would take approx seven hundred and fifty MILLION years to get there. Even if we could go the speed of light, it would still take 25,000 years. There is no hope we're ever getting out of the Milky Way without some seriously drastic sci-fi worm-hole stuff.

xtn

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm having some gruesome ideas about the one-way Mars adventure. Like--your corpse is too valuable to jettison into space. I think your final destiny would be a compost pile. Truly "ashes to ashes and dust to dust."

Recycling would be a requirement for an interstellar voyage (with current technologies). That would include urine, feces and whatever else has been consumed and eliminated. Your body has nutrients that could be recycled as well...there's a lot of liquid in a human.

Of course, there's also the possibility of "Dave Burgers" or "Roydogs"...

 

[dave1949]

But Dave, that can't happen. If the U.S. focused the monetary resources required to develop a successful way to escape Earth at the cost of our military budget we would not be the passengers. The passengers would be some thug nation that quietly stood back and waited for the completion date, then stomped out our existence, because we would have no defense system and took our seats.....

I think you missed the humanity and global aspect of those redirected defense resources.

Does it really matter if a colony is established on some far away planet if we take our dispute resolution methods along with us? Remember, we have only had the ability to blow ourselves back into the stone age since the 1950's. And we can do a much better job of that now than then. So far, everyone has been fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. I don't have a clue about whether that situation can last forever.

 

[rekees4300]

Mastering the the fabric of space/time is the ticket...

Bingo! Even traveling at the speed of light isn't fast enough for serious exploration beyond this solar system.

 

[dave1949]

Recycling would be a requirement for an interstellar voyage (with current technologies). That would include urine, feces and whatever else has been consumed and eliminated. Your body has nutrients that could be recycled as well...there's a lot of liquid in a human.

Of course, there's also the possibility of "Dave Burgers" or "Roydogs"...

Absolutely. Maybe cockroaches would be a major source of protein. You can't exterminate the things and they can live on excrement converting that to protein. Gag. Gag. I wanna go :earth:.

 

[MikePA]

There is no way politicians, of any party or generation, would redirect any 'savings' from DoD spending to space flight/exploration. Even President Kennedy got complaints the money spent to go to the moon should have been spent on social welfare programs, anti poverty programs, etc. Politicians will only spend tax dollars, actually much more than what is collected, on those programs that will get them votes and increase their power.

Evil and good exist. Wishing it were not so is naive. Evil cheers when good unilaterally disarms and withdraws.

 

[bcp]

The problem with spending the billions of dollars from the annual space program budget to feed millions of hungry people is that all you get for it a year later is millions of hungry people wanting to be fed again. There has to be a better way.

 

[ovrszd]

Um... no, and no.

The nearest known galaxy to ours is 25,000 light years away from us. At Voyager speeds, it would take approx seven hundred and fifty MILLION years to get there. Even if we could go the speed of light, it would still take 25,000 years. There is no hope we're ever getting out of the Milky Way without some seriously drastic sci-fi worm-hole stuff.

xtn

Then, it's worse than I thought. Somebody better get crackin on this problem cause I don't think we have 750 million years left in us.....

 

[MikePA]

The problem with spending the billions of dollars from the annual space program budget to feed millions of hungry people is that all you get for it a year later is millions of hungry people wanting to be fed again. There has to be a better way.

Agreed. Sadly, the current answer is to print or borrow more money, a simple solution when the primary goals are to get more votes and more power.

 

[CobyRupert]

There is no way politicians, of any party or generation, would redirect any 'savings' from DoD spending to space flight/exploration. Even President Kennedy got complaints the money spent to go to the moon should have been spent on social welfare programs, anti poverty programs, etc. Politicians will only spend tax dollars, actually much more than what is collected, on those programs that will get them votes and increase their power.

Evil and good exist. Wishing it were not so is naive. Evil cheers when good unilaterally disarms and withdraws.

..and look what happened to Kennedy. More likely he got a headache because he didn't ramp up the wars enough and go hot with the Ruskies over Cuba like the Generals and their buddies urged.