Poll

Will extra-solar colonization be feasible within the next 100 years.

Yes.
8 (44.4%)
No.
9 (50%)
Other
1 (5.6%)

Total Members Voted: 18

Voting closed: June 22, 2009, 03:39:38 PM

Author Topic: Survey  (Read 1513 times)

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Offline Erik L (OP)

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Survey
« on: June 15, 2009, 03:39:38 PM »
Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I am taking college course towards a degree. One of the classes I am in is an English Composition class. We need to do research papers. One of the sources we need is an interview/survey.

So I put forth to the Aurora community this survey question: Will extra-solar colonization be feasible within the next 100 years?

Please answer and post a response with expanded information if you choose. This poll will only be open for 7 days.
 

Offline Beersatron

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Re: Survey
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2009, 10:49:20 PM »
I said yes, I presume you mean could we launch an expedition, not necessarily complete it within 100 years?

Also, I think it could be feasible, but wether or not you could get somebody to foot the bill is another thing  :wink:
 

Offline Erik L (OP)

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Re: Survey
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2009, 11:07:43 PM »
Yes, that should be read as "Do you think it is possible to launch an extra-solar colonization effort in the next 100 years?"

Of course, I've got no idea where I will find a political cartoon on this subject... (some teachers)
 

Offline welchbloke

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Re: Survey
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2009, 05:07:02 AM »
I've also voted yes; I would assume that most people who are on this forum would do the same.  I'm not sure if this forum is a representative sample of 'the man in the street'.  I tend to stay off the street, I might get run over  :D .
I think that what would be needed to launch as expedition is a combination of political will, technological know how and, perhaps most importantly, a sutable target planet.  I can see the last 2 being acheived within 100 yrs, given the state of the current crop of nest feathering, self-serving, money grabbing politicians at present I don't hold out that much hope for the first criteria.
Welchbloke
 

Offline James Patten

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Re: Survey
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2009, 06:09:23 AM »
All we need to do is develop Trans-Newtonian technology and find those elements and we're good to go.  Then as many of us know it will take many years to transform our pre-TransNewtonian society into a truly high tech society, but certainly within 100 years we should be exploring the universe and running into Precursors  :D .
 

Offline Charlie Beeler

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Re: Survey
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2009, 07:50:49 AM »
I voted other.

Within the scientific community and fandom the will exists to develope the techonology for extra solar travel.  The problem that must be overcome is the will within the government and business communities to fund the research.  Without the the effort is effectively dead in the water.  

I remember as a kid watching the moon landings.  The plan back then was to follow Apollo with some sort of manned installation on the moon, multiple orbital stations and a manned mission to Mars by the mid 80's.  Here it is now almost 2010 and theres talk of a new manned mission to the moon, a single primative orbital station (by comparison to the grand plans of the 60's & early 70's), and a couple remote rovers on Mars.

If it hadn't been for the Cold War arms race the moon landings would not have happened when they did.  

It's going to take something new to push the will again.
Amateurs study tactics, Professionals study logistics - paraphrase attributed to Gen Omar Bradley
 

Offline sloanjh

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Re: Survey
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2009, 08:34:40 AM »
I'm in the (apparently tiny) "no" camp.

The energy cost is just too big to get a ship up to a reasonable fraction of lightspeed, and everything we know about physics indicates that a practical superluminal drive is impossible.

John
 

Offline Hawkeye

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Re: Survey
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2009, 09:29:44 AM »
As much as I would like to vote yes, I´m afraid I have to say No.

Technological, it might be possible, but, as others allready said, the political will just isn´t there.

It would take a real revolution of society to make a project happen that will cost billions (and I am talking about european billions* without a large majority of people screaming bloody murder and pointing to all their pet peeves that should get at least a part of that money.

Only way I can see this happening is a major event (think the movie contact, for example), that would unite the people of earth behind a "vision" or "dream"




*this means trillions in US-english (is this in british english too?)

Edit:
As welchbloke said, we are not exactely a represantative sample. On the other hand, if you asked a representive sample, I´d guess 90% of the people wouldn´t know what the hell you are talking about.  :)
Ralph Hoenig, Germany
 

Offline Erik L (OP)

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Re: Survey
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2009, 09:53:11 AM »
As for the representative sample, the instructor did not say I could not stack the survey ;)
 

Offline mikew

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Re: Survey
« Reply #9 on: June 16, 2009, 09:08:19 PM »
Well, I'm going to have to vote no for the extra-solar colonies within the next 100 years.

I believe that one or more extra-TERRESTRIAL colonies will be feasible (first that comes to mind as possibly being an almost self-sufficient colony would be Mars), though I'm not all that confident that any will actually BE founded within 100 years.  If NOT done within 100 years, I have little confidence that any off-planet colonies of any type would be founded at all after that.  The longer we wait the less likely we are to ever do it.  In fact, I'd put the number at 50 years or lower for at least a manned, long-duration stay.  Not a colony at first- these folks would go out to do a job for a few years and then come home, but rotating crews would provide a permanent presence as in the ISS today.  The urge to explore does not seem to be something that is pent up in a population and builds over time- rather I believe it is more akin to a perishable skill- curiosity may be there, but the urge to physically challenge the cosmos seems to fade the farther we leave Apollo in the past.

Mike
 

Offline Sotak246

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Re: Survey
« Reply #10 on: June 16, 2009, 11:49:03 PM »
With the current rate of tech advancement, I believe it is feasible.  Just not likely to happen since it is unlikely any govt would want to pay for it.  We would need some form of polical/popular pressure to do so, like there was for the Apollo missions.
 

Offline Kurt

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Re: Survey
« Reply #11 on: June 17, 2009, 04:30:19 PM »
I've voted no as well.  While I wish I thought it was more likely, I actually see us turning more and more inward.  

Kurt
 

Offline welchbloke

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Re: Survey
« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2009, 05:03:15 PM »
Well aren't we a cynical bunch :o   The survey has completely changed direction and the No vote is in the ascendancy.
Welchbloke
 

Offline Tregonsee

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Re: Survey
« Reply #13 on: June 18, 2009, 05:41:43 PM »
I tied it up.  Although it may be that we instead thrown out of the solar system by the Singularity...