Warp drive is Possible

[Deleted54170User]

It's been possible in scientific theory for years. I've known about it since 1972 and the theory still holds. The only problem is getting the rich to finance the actual production of the craft to provide a few excellent farmers a place where they can continue to provide crops to feed all of us people on Earth. Why haven't they done it already?

 

Well, if you think like I do, they have or they should have.

 

If you are just a dreamer like I used to be, they aren't going to make it happen unless their own begin to suffer from lack of nutriion. So if we that are not in the same rank and file as they want to see this develope we are going to have to become richer then the present established wealthy people and do it ourselves because they don't need to yet.

[Vagrant0]

because they don't need to yet.

That's likely part of it. The reality of space travel, atleast with anything like warpdrive which is intended to allow travel between star systems, is that it isn't about building wealth back home. Most of the initial cost and setup work would likely be done in exploration first, both recording data on other worlds and ensuring that the process of travel is safe. Then it would move to a colonial phase which could easily take up several times those initial resources and several generations to have any sort of economic benefit... Provided those colonies don't just end up declaring themselves independent, or those planets don't end up being inhabited, filled with hostile life/conditions, or all the other things that can go wrong.

 

Culturally, and technologically, we just aren't at a point were we're ready for it. It may sound counter intuitive, but we would actually probably do better going to Mars than another Earthlike planet simply because Mars has relatively few natural biological life, and even then most of that life is distantly related to terrestrial life. Excluding the fact that humanity hasn't actually been in a position to move into an area which wasn't already inhabited (and therefore didn't have a population to exploit for resources and local knowledge) since classical times, there is still the component of alien plants, microbiology, and even natural compounds being incompatible with the life found on Earth from a chemical standpoint.

[Thor.]

Reminds me of War of the worlds, even if we travel to a distant star system, we still need to scout ahead to see if there is any intelligent life on that planet first. So we won't be getting into a war of some sort or alien invasion, we have the technology just we are afraid to use it yet. the war of the worlds part is also a factor that life may be incompatible with or immune system and might wipe out whatever may set foot on that Earth like planet. Something so common there could be so deadly to us.

 

But its all in the matter though just how much life is on that planet, it could be in the early stages like earth was billions of years ago, yet still very much like earth, maybe even planting plants and animals before hand to see if they take root for future colonization.

 

We need food supplies as well like farming like pagafyr mentioned. I can see it for asteroid mining and distant resource exploitation. if its economical then anything is possible.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Thor.

[Ironman5000]

If there is life out there it's 99% likely to be bacterial.

 

The real worry I have about interstellar space travel is the stupidity of mankind - I could so easily see the first mission being a disaster from some sort of mathematical miscalculation or guidance errors which would be billions of (likely) dollars going down the drain.

[Vagrant0]

We need food supplies as well like farming like pagafyr mentioned. I can see it for asteroid mining and distant resource exploitation. if its economical then anything is possible.

Actually, if we could solve our power issues, this planet could easily feed over 10 billion people. Again, that thorium salt reactor thing.

 

Colonizing other planets would actually more likely be something politically motivated instead of economic. The first country to colonize Mars for example would likely be the first one to decide how to divide the planet for habitation, mining, and if they were the only country to have the technology to get there for any length of time, they would be able to control any scientific advancements made. Although these things have an economic implication, the notion of countries just being able to go around staking a claim to parts of terrain without contest is something that almost guarantees that country as being a dominant political as well as economic force in the future of humanity.

[Thor.]

Hmm those oil company should invest in space exploration, you never know what errm fossil fuels might be out there http://forums.nexusmods.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/teehee.gif Motivation...

[Thor.]

Hmm they say mars was earth like 1 million years ago and the Human race is 4 million years old, kind of a coincidence really if you ask me, although i wouldn't be to surprised if that was the case lol. once Mars did have a atmosphere but i doubt logically considering the size of the planet it could sustain complex life like the Human race. Although they say its as old as the sun itself, you never know what happened in that billions of years time frame

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLrzH-Rnr1c

 

Edited September 30, 2012 by Thor.

[Ironman5000]

I think a lot of people need to remember that things like unicorns, dragons, x files, jesus etc. are all part of fictional storytelling both ancient and new and to interpret this as seriously considered facts would lead this topic down the dark and mad world of conspiracy theory...just saying before we ruin a genuinely interesting topic. Edited September 30, 2012 by Ironman5000

[Thor.]

Yes this is not what i had in plan for this thread, religious stuff keep out. Edited September 30, 2012 by Thor.

[Thor.]

Remember though its been a million years sense whatever religious things may of happened in the past, Mars atmosphere was long gone before we even thought of going to the moon or Mars.. It pre dates the Miyan's and any known civilization http://forums.nexusmods.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/teehee.gif