I think humans may settle Mars within the next century or so. If the great distances between stars can be bypassed (i.e. a "warp drive" mechanism or something else) they will reach other star systems probably within a millennium or two.
shareI can see lunar build-out and subsequently mars terraforming/colonization within humanity's destiny, within the next few centuries.
Beyond that it gets fuzzy. It all depends upon how close a potentially habitable planet is found to be. That is more of a millennial or multi-millennial effort, assuming we don't foul the planet into near extinction in the meanwhile. It would entail
multiple robotic turn-arounds to reconnoiter the target planet.
Besides which, running into a grain of sand, anywhere along the journey, will be journey's end. It might well be that either such missions are beyond human organizational/sociopolitical capabilities, as we now understand them, or we develop a willingness to sacrifice much & many to land the few safely for efforts with limited immediate gain beyond the ensuring of human survival, a collective goal for a species not inclined to collective aims.
Difficult to see how a species filled with such self-loathing can survive too much longer.
shareTo be honest, I don't see any settlements being established beyond the moon. Long-term settlement of Mars would present all sorts of problems for the colonists. The soil is toxic, and what little atmosphere that exists there is unbreathable. The gravity of Mars is 38% of that on Earth, which would cause muscle atrophy and loss of bone density over time.
I could see moon colonies being more feasible due to their proximity to the Earth. They would need to be frequently re-staffed on a rotating basis, again because of the effects of reduced gravity. Unless there's some amazing innovation in space travel technology, the trip to and from Mars is just too long.
it would probably require artificial gravity living spaces for long-term habitation, and perhaps domed
enclosures to ensure adequate atmospheric content. certain humans may also opt to expose themselves to the lower-gravity and live with the effects - you would need less bone mass in lower-G environments to get by.
the main challenge materially is having adequate water and mineral and energy sources at hand, perhaps
supplemented by asteroid mining.
FTL is not possible. Sorry but it's a fact. Mars and some moons in this system probably , inside of 200 years is the general expectation.
shareNo need for FTL travel. We just need to make us live longer, via cloning or uploading consciousness onto computers.
shareIt’s called the Alcubierre Drive. It’s a means of FTL without actually exceeding the speed of light.
shareThe Alcubierre is theoretical mathematical model that, for all intents and purposes, is as impossible to implement as FTL. Not going to argue physics here but it's as valid as , say, magic.
shareErm, a warp drive is certainly not proven to be impossible. It’s certainly not feasible with our current level of technology, but neither is it “magic” considering it doesn’t violate any laws of general relativity.
shareIf a star is within a few light years, it can probably be reached by far-below-LS drives in centuries.
Surviving multiple centuries in space,
and not getting annilated by space dust,
and arriving with the material & technical requisites to stay
remain among the daunting challenges.
Around the corner to get 20 Rothmans
shareThe human race will be extinct before it can go beyond Mars.
share