NASA: The 100 year starship

Sources FOX NEWS and POPULAR SCIENCE

I first stumbled on this article a day or so again on my Popsci and Fox news app (Plus a plethora of other articles when I GOOGLED the subject)and found it just fascinating to say the very least. Actually it gets that old feeling of wonder I remember as a kid and seeing all these science specials and sci fi shows on mainstream TV that kept pounding the fact that there were endless possibilities out there for innovation and discovery.

The director of NASA’s Ames Research Center Simon “Pete” Worden in Cali made a mention of a ” 100 year starship” He said NASA contributed $100,000 to the project and DARPA kicked in $1 million. The trip planned would most likely be a one way trip aimed to settle and colonize other worlds.

“The human space program is now really aimed at settling other worlds,” Worden said, according to a Singularity University blog that covered the event. “Twenty years ago you had to whisper that in dark bars and get fired.” (Worden added that he was fired by President George W. Bush.)

According to both articles nothing more was said on this subject but does raise some interesting possibilities and problems. FOX news raises the concern of long exposure to isolation and space will have profound negative effects on the human physical and psychological condition . This has been long proven from years of studies done by numerous space agency around the world . The most noteworthy are NASA and Soviet/ Russian programs.

There was also something I found intriguing in the FOX article that was mention. The fact that humans would have to adopt to the planet instead of humans adopting the planet to suit humans. Something a little different then past thinking and visions of many. Changing the human genome would matter of fact probably be much more easier to do then radically altering the environment on another world. Interesting and creative thinking that could be a plus or a minus depending on what group of people you tend to sell that to. I can see human rights and radical groups saying that it is an abomination to alter humans and I could see an equally convincing argument that this will further the knowledge of the human race and ensure the survival of the species.

What ever the case man has faced this kind of challenge before. I mean one way trips to better a life. It was just a tick of the historical clock that man was first exploring the waters to find new land to research and to find new raw materials to exploit. Think about , first were the research ships and the adventurers. Then when the routes were establish came the settlers. Usually knowing this was a one way trip . Many died on the journey but hose that survived flourished and built towns , cities, and nations. Those people were the ones that escaped persecution, set up the religious communes all along the Americas , and sought financial wealth. Shortly after trading routes were set up. The more advanced sailing ships and other modes of transportation were the quicker the trips took and with the shorten time the easier it got for people to come the new world and return. Till we got to where we are today.

Imagine that same cycle in exploring space and it can be argued that this could be said about this proposal. I can see first the scientist and adventures taking the trip. Soon business would exploit the resources of space for their gains. Space pioneers will mostly consist of specialist at first but it is not a stretch to in vision religious leaders with their flock trying to settle a world the would be secular in nature. Christian , Jewish , Muslim or an other religious group would enjoy freedom to follow what ever practices they want. Scientific communities or political groups also would most likely do the same. Trading routes would soon be establish after invitations to space travel is made and that will come because like the old proverb says. Necessity is the mother of inventions. The necessity to prosper and to travel and to keep in touch would expedite this process as it has done in the past. One thing you could say about us humans we do find ways around problems when we want to.

Yes this is a highly optimistic opinion on how things will unfold and yes I am not really taking into account mankind’s greed factor and need to dominate everything. I am hoping the lack of finances for projects this big tends to get nations and groups to cooperate then to destroy. Well that is so far in the future that my great grand kids would most likely be the beneficiaries of any such venture. But the short term project that are set up are for Mars , moons of the gas giants , Jupiter and Saturn , and man exploration and colonization of our little system is equally interesting and exciting.

Davies, a cosmologist at Arizona State University’s Beyond Center believes we should go to the moons of Mars first, and believes it can happen by 2030.

Only to be like the BBC character Dr Who and have the ability to be long lived and travel both space and time. How fun would it be to see the adventure unfold .

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