Bullethead 12 Posted August 8, 2012 Any craft that may need to be out there for a hundred years or more needs some serious consideration - humans being humans and all, they get old and die, they want to marry- you'd have a mini-society on board. You'd have to have medical facilities, educational facilities, a group of people large enough to prevent inbreeding, gravity simulation... it's wild to consider - unless, again, we can cut missions down in length due to some unimaginable (at this point) propulsion system, wormholes, warp drives, and that kind of stuff. Ah, the multi-generation colony ship, a favorite setting of science fiction stories from the Golden Age (Heinlein's "Universe") to today (the movie "Pandorum"). Always something goes terribly wrong, which makes for a ripping yarn. But my favorite of the whole genre is where, after overcoming all these problems, the colony ship finally arrives at its destination and discovers the ruins of a previous civilization. Upon exploration, they learn that these ruins were built by their homeworld. A few centuries after the colony ship had set out on its 1000-year voyage, the homeworld had developed warp drive and colonized the target planet, where a civilization had risen and fallen, all before the original colony ship arrived :). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HumanDrone 4 Posted August 9, 2012 HA! Worst thing is, such scenarios (if warp drive is even possible) could indeed play out. It's our human-ness, the transitory nature of people and civilizations, that presents in some ways greater problems than just the technological ones! - just what your story said, but your story was much more entertaining than my dry, one-line synopsis! Since we're still kicking this one around, here's a few thoughts from the late Carl Sagan about Mars, and what we should do if we find any sort of life there. Interesting and a little sappy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flyby PC 23 Posted August 9, 2012 I'm less worried about sharing Mars with microbes than some aspects of space exploration. There are quite a few books and references which say if we knew what life there was out there in space, we might not be so eager to announce our presence to the Universe. Perhaps the vast distance between ourselves and other galaxies is something we should be eternally grateful for. Considering our society struggles to reach back 3000 years, but the Universe has been around for billions, I don't think you'll get very good odds on our civilisation being the first or the most advanced. Maybe life on Mars is as good as it gets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HumanDrone 4 Posted August 9, 2012 Well, exactly. It's why I have dubious belief in UFO's being aliens. If they have the technology to get here, they could do whatever they want with us. Unless they are particularly virtuous and have chosen to just let us screwed-up primitive primates alone, my guess is that if they are out there, they can't get here any more than we can get there. Best, Tom Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted August 9, 2012 Don't worry, guys - physical/material bodies cannot travel with light speed. Even a much "slower" speed like half light speed would not be possible. If a space ship travelling with that speed would hit a sand grain or other small particle, the collision impact would generate a power similar to the Hiroshima bomb. Settling on other planets, only because you've ruined your own one, is just a crazy idea (and the vast majority of mankind would not get on board for such a journey). I wished, that all of us could circle around our planet in ISS for some hours - then we might realise: we ARE travelling with a most beautiful spaceship alread. It can generate air for breathing, supplies us with water and regenerating food, and with a flourishing and constantly changing flora and fauna to keep us entertained. In a space capsule, we wouldn't smoke nor throw our garbage around. We must still be too small to realise, that we ARE in a space ship. I hope we will grow up some time soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HumanDrone 4 Posted August 9, 2012 Indeed! Funny, isn't it - if you sort through all the 66 books of Scripture, you find only a few things we are really commanded to do: Take care of the planet Be fruitful and multiply (I like that part! ) Love God and love your neighbor as yourself Now I understand not everyone believes in a deity, that's not my point. My point is that we've know this all along; we just don't do it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
