Is space the solution to the troubels of mankind? Can we in space find the resources that we need to keep the growth going? Imagine that the billions in china and india over the next decades will want the same standart of living as we currently have in europe and north america. Is mars the solution to over population on earth, mars does present 3 times the land area of earth. Is mining he3 (for fusion energy) on the moon the solution to the polution free energy need on earth? 25gram he3 pr year would be sufficient to cover the energy needs of usa (the worlds larges co2 contributor) Are mining asteroids the solution to the need of platinium group metals? there are plenty of other topics that could be in this topic, I will wait with them until later. Regards Peter

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I do believe that space can be the solution to many of our problems. But one problem is that man has not even made it to the moon yet! Theres just too much radiation! First we need to find other solutions before we start to consider space, although it is very interesting

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The problem with looking into space for the resources of mankind lies in the fact that it costs too much to get into space in the first place. Shuttles go up roughly once every month or two in the United States and each time they go up it costs billions of dollars. Space Shuttle Endeavor cost $1.7 billion alone to build and that does not count for labor cost and repairs which seem to be growing larger in number every time there is a launch. The current Space Shuttle Atlantis was just put off until January because of fuel tank issues. The cost for labor, construction, fuel, supplies, training, etc; costs a lot of money. Some new form of shuttle will have to be designed to carry a large amount of resources back but the cost will outweigh what is brought in by a large number.

For this to be profitable, some form of mass production of space crafts that can carry large loads have to be built but they must be built efficiently, cheap, and with little labor. The automation of manufacturing can be helpful as it was for the automobile back when Henry Ford created the first parts line. As for life on a new planet, yes it's possible, same with a space station. The same problems apply to this situation though as well and the residents going to live in a new civilization will likely have to be taught how to adapt and at first will be specialists like those out in the International Space Station. As for the moment there are many plans for the advancement of exploration like the repairing of the Hubble Telescope and addition to new parts. The government is already having a hard time funding this, it may be a long time before we turn to the Earth's need from scientific discovery.

 

 

 

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sweet-princess, do you say that mankind never has been on the moon?

I do not hope you belive in the conspiration-teories?
If you do, I will recomend you take a look at this site: www.badastronomy.com

Now back to the other question, radiation.
Radiation protection will indeed be vital to anny prolonged stay at the moon, or annywere else in space.
on the moon, the easy way of protection will be to cover the initial bases with regolith. ½meter regolith will cover for most radiation. and as the gravety on the moon only are 1/3 of that on earth it will not give anny problems with construction.
The lunar society surgest that the initial bases be set up in lavatubes, there it will be covered with massive rocks and only face radiation from the cave opening, and that are next to nothing if the base are placed at a distance. if done that way it will not pose anny troubel to build the exterior of the base in a thin sheet of plastic.

best regards
Peter

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Plenoptic.

Sure the space shuttel are expencive, even extremly expencive.
The sad thing is that usa has made it allmost impossibel for american compagnies to engage in russian rocketry.
a soyuz cost around 200mill dollars, the shuttel cost al most 2 billion, i know that the shuttel can launch a greath deal more in 1 shot than the soyuz. but 10 russian rocets can launch 2.5 times the weigth of 1 shuttel at the same cost.
But as long as the american goverment does classiffer most space technology as state secrets.... it is going to be hard for american compagnies to participate in space development, as they cant find the resources to pay for shuttel launches.

best regards
Peter

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Yeah I have to agree with pleno that for space travel to possible several factors have to come into play:

1. Money

And I mean a series load of it like in the hundreds of trillions of dollars to fund this project which includes mass producing ship parts, developing a energy source that can pull off star trek speeds, and some sort of hull that can take small objection without puncturing a giant hole from a meteorite or something.

2. Space Ship

Now if we have this huge source of money covered the next problem is the ship, basically you would have to make the space ships be like the Enterprise from star trek. Not only does it have to be fast it has to be huge so people can move around and sleep comfortably and not be in such a tight space. As for speed thats a given we need to be able to hit the speed of light or close to it ( the speed of light is 669,600,000 MPH), and I believe the current space shuttle can only do about 25,000 MPH. So we already know that either a nuclear engine or something more powerful would need to built in order to sustain that kind of power, even if its small burst just to get the motion going. As for the hull of the ship it needs to about 1000x more better then the current hull system as it needs to be able with stand objects the size of softballs from putting a hole into the ship and collapsing it. Thus you would need the most advance weapon, tracking, monitoring system in the known universe to be able keep tabs on all the objects in space.

Like I said we would need to build a enterprise for that to be even possible.

3. Water/Food

We need food and water there is no doubt about that, and right now only the planet Earth has was we need to survive.

4. Time

Using this website to explain it, no human can live two hundred thousand years or if oyu read further down nine trillion years. So in order turn years into hours in space travel you need to pull off warp speed like speed to not have 360,000,000,000 generations (9 trillion number) of human bodies floating in space once they die. Lets not forget time is different in space as well, and if I remember correctly if you travel back and forth in a set number of years the actual age of the of the planet is double that. Not to sure how that works so if someone knows what I am referring to clear that situation up.


5. Human race

For this to work everyone has to stop the BS, but we all know peace on earth will never happen, and so in that conclusion after rereading these points I would think it would be impossible unless the hypothetical worm hole appears out of nowhere next to the planet earth traveling to outer space will only will happen to those who have deep pockets and the means to actually get out there and perform science experiments.

Although I saw an article a couple of days ago that the Voyager spacecrafts are now reaching the point were our solar system ends and the universe begins, and that took 30 years for those 2 tiny satellites to get there. Of course during that time no contact has ever been made, and so it leads to my final point.

6. Why Do it?

If we are the only living things in this universe why bother risking the dangers of this unknown universe? Although we have about 5 Billion years left on this planet give or take a catastrophic event The human race only chance of survive would be find a planet that is a exact duplicate of this planet, and out of the 200+ planets found so far none have come close to earth like yet. Early 20th century had high hopes for the future such as by the year 2000 we have flying cars and stuff like that but its 2007 and we haven't done anything to cure disease, hunger, global warming, and so us as a race now in a period of time that all it takes is someone to press a button and that would be it.

Could it be possible to leave this planet and travel the stars? Maybe will it happen in the generation-x life time, not likely. The 21st century children have to realize that we their parents and grandparents and great grandparents have done a lot of damage, and if the 21st century children cannot get past our mistakes it might never happen.

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even though I beleve that we still have the right technology for a colony on the moon or something. In fact it is quite possible. we have the technology to do it. we are in Antarctica arn't we? we use domes etc for buildings and other typs of structures to shelter out the cold.

I You take a look at Star Trek for A Minute... The Hypospray: Remember that one?
Star Trek:



Real Life:



There are probably other things aswell.who Knows!

I think that NASA has a problem with priorities. if it's no NASA then it's the American Gouvernment or who ever gives them money. According to a Radio program that I listen to, Coast 2 Coast AM, an expert said that, by now, we could be on Mars and having Colonies on the Moon.

Remember that Space Elevator? back in the 60's it was a joke, but now it looks like reallity.

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If you have ever watch the history channel they did an episode on real world technology based on star trek and star wars that have shown quite a few other tools.

However, I would like to point out that their is a HUUGE difference between Antarctica and a moon colony? That difference is simple gravity and oxygen. Outer space lacks that and all it takes is a golf ball to create a very bad situation; however, I doubt they would have glass domes and junk like that but still an object going through outer space at like a few hundred thousand miles an hour is going to do some huge damage to something.

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I've seen this show. I think it was called "How William Shatner Changed the World". Very interesting indeed.

Back on topic, as much as I personally would like for space travel to become a possiblity, I doubt that it will happen in my lifetime, or for many years after. Saint_Michael did a great job of listing many of the reasons why this is so. An Antarctic colony on the other hand can be done.

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well Saint Michael you are rigth, there are no way anny one will be abel to find monny for inter stellar travel. not to say find anny type of technology that would be capabel of supporting such a travel.

If you looked at the titel of this topic, you would have ssen that it said the moon, mars and asteroids. not stars and galaxies.

To finance a lunar colony, using the shuttel as first choice of liftoff, it will take aprox 20-40 billion dollars including american build hardware.
the same could be done using russian rockets and indian build hardware for 8-10 billion. perhaps much less as the russian rockets would be a lot cheaper if you buy them in bulk.

you are rigth that oxygene and water are not easy to obtain in space, then again if you start processing rogolith on the moon it consist of 40% oxygen and you will find hydrogen as well (layered in the regolith from the solar wind) According to sattelite observations it should be possibel to find water/ice in deep polar craters on the oon and thus just mining it for a large water supply. the water would be an easy rocket fuel for initial further expantion in to space, in my senario near earth asteroids and mars.

regards
Peter

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