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Considering the current state of the world - overpopulation, shortages of raw materials/food/etc, environmental/energy crises - and assuming the governments are willing and capable of providing the necessary funding, would you support a large-scale space development program?

This doesn't just include such obvious things like space colonies and/or lunar settlements, but also solar energy satellites, generation ships, asteroid mining, martian/Jovian terraforming, etc.

 Admiral Valerian wrote:
Considering the current state of the world - overpopulation, shortages of raw materials/food/etc, environmental/energy crises

I didn't realize that was the current state.

 Ahtman wrote:

 Admiral Valerian wrote:
Considering the current state of the world - overpopulation, shortages of raw materials/food/etc, environmental/energy crises

I didn't realize that was the current state.

Its not, there is more than enough to go around, there is just a large disparity in the distribution of wealth and an as current unsustainable approach at using it.

Indeed. The Earth has a staggering capacity to produce food.

I remember from a class I took that, if all the current food production was equally distributed, everybody would have something like 40 pounds of food a day. It was a lot anyway.

And we aren't even producing food at peak efficiency. This planet can support several times the number of people we currently have if we used modern production techniques everywhere, along with proper harvesting of natural food sources.

We also only have energy problems because people are stupid. More Nuclear power would give us more than enough electricity for the foreseeable future.


Overpopulation and food shortage is a complete myth. its a discrepancy between where the food is and where there is growing populations that is causing the problems.

It's not necessary at this time and tech won't allow it to be easy.

Simple changes, such as vertical farming, can suffice for now.

This site certainly won't provide biased results on a poll like this!

I definitely support space development. I want large space stations, moon bases, lunar-based long-range weaponry and vacations on far-away moons/planets that provide spectacular vistas. I don't think that's too much to ask for in my lifetime.

No, there are critical problems we haven't solved yet that required our attention, such as phasing out the conservative mindset.

Also, wasn't this exact thread up about a month ago?

Funnily enough, a few days back I was reading an io9 article about how we're actually really close to being able to build the first stage of a Dyson sphere. Pretty interesting stuff.

~Tim?

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
This site certainly won't provide biased results on a poll like this!

I definitely support space development. I want large space stations, moon bases, lunar-based long-range weaponry and vacations on far-away moons/planets that provide spectacular vistas. I don't think that's too much to ask for in my lifetime.

I want to start a chain of interstellar IHOPs and give a dozen sentient species bad cholesterol and problems with obesity.

I would be in support of it.

As long as I get a laser gun. I want a laser gun, damn it! Where do my tax dollars go to? Schools? Screw that, give me a fricking laser gun already!

 Frazzled wrote:

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
This site certainly won't provide biased results on a poll like this!

I definitely support space development. I want large space stations, moon bases, lunar-based long-range weaponry and vacations on far-away moons/planets that provide spectacular vistas. I don't think that's too much to ask for in my lifetime.

I want to start a chain of interstellar IHOPs and give a dozen sentient species bad cholesterol and problems with obesity.

I also would like if you did this, so I may lord my superior physique over more species and get hot alien chicks like crazy.

The 'I' in IHOP would now stand for Interstellar, which sounds much cooler.

The biggest advantage space expansion has over environmental revolution is that the former can exist if enough visionaries get abourd the project, wheras environmental revolution requires everyone to get on board.
As damaging the environment is more profitable, quick and easier and is a by product of any nation state with a stake in the worlds future any attempt to balance resources and practice genuine sustainability is a futile as 'world peace'.
Even if government did somehow get on board, individuals and corporations wont.
It is a political certainty that man will exhaust this planet and turn it into a hell, the only possibility open is how.

Some firmly believe that the time to press for space colonization is now, while we still can. It's cheaper than it sounds, once there is a starter orbital colony it can grow from offworld resources,

I'm totally with space development. If we stay on earth we'd be sure to run out of room and most importantly food and water.

To the OP, read '2312' by Kim Stanley Robinson, think you will probably find it interesting!

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
This site certainly won't provide biased results on a poll like this!

I definitely support space development. I want large space stations, moon bases, lunar-based long-range weaponry and vacations on far-away moons/planets that provide spectacular vistas. I don't think that's too much to ask for in my lifetime.

I want to start a chain of interstellar IHOPs and give a dozen sentient species bad cholesterol and problems with obesity.

I also would like if you did this, so I may lord my superior physique over more species and get hot alien chicks like crazy.

The 'I' in IHOP would now stand for Interstellar, which sounds much cooler.

Son, I like what we've done here. Let us build it, and they will come.

I like this planet. It's got about the right amounts of everything. There isn't another planet in this solar system that can match that claim. No point going somewhere else and creating a logistical nightmare while we've got all we need right here.

I would be cool. would love me some space explorations IN SPACE....................................

But (puts on tin foil hat) i would expect the government(s) to create fabricated wars to thin down populations than spend money on things they wouldn't be able to control (space anarchy) (takes off hat).

Edit: Also would love me some interstellar house of pancakes.

"Tired from a long day on the Kessel Run? Attack ships burning off Orion's shoulder just not keeping you awake like they should? Then stop at Frazzled's Interstellar House of Pancakes and fuel up with a pot of Joe and a stack of flapjacks.

Just tell em Flibberprixnixk 'L the Younger sent you and get a free glass of orange juice."

Absolutely yes. The benefits to the rest of the world that would result from a mission to put humans on, say, Mars, would be immeasurable.

The most important thing we need from space is mining. We've already discovered that certain resources (rare elements used in electronics manufacturing, etc) are in limited supply here, so it's time to start strip mining the rest of the solar system for more. And, unlike other ideas, this is actually a practical plan that can be accomplished with existing technology and provide a meaningful return on the investment.

Colonies are just wishful thinking. There's currently nothing out there worth colonizing, and making a colony just for the sake of having one is a complete waste of resources. And no, it will never solve the overpopulation problem.

 iproxtaco wrote:
Absolutely yes. The benefits to the rest of the world that would result from a mission to put humans on, say, Mars, would be immeasurable.

And what exactly would these benefits be?

We should really make the jump into space, even for our own self preservation.

This video covers a bit about why we haven't seen mass space exodus as dreamed in earlier sci-fi concepts.




Somewhat related...

 TheCustomLime wrote:
I would be in support of it.

As long as I get a laser gun. I want a laser gun, damn it! Where do my tax dollars go to? Schools? Screw that, give me a fricking laser gun already!

But... the 2nd Amendment is outdated, and doesnt cover such weapons as laser guns


Personally, I'm all for being able to physically send scientific/ other expeditions to planets within/without our solar system. As we've seen, developing tech for use in space greatly aids development of other tech on the "homefront"

Space travel is one of the few aspects of our destiny as a species which is absolute if we are to survive. I'm pro it.

Here's an interesting bit of information on how much of the planet is really inhabited by people. It shows how much of the planet would be uninhabited if everyone on Earth were to live in an imaginary city with population densities equal to real cities.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/cities/could-7-billion-people-live-in-a-texas-sized-city/1124

Relapse wrote:
Here's an interesting bit of information on how much of the planet is really inhabited by people. It shows how much of the planet would be uninhabited if everyone on Earth were to live in an imaginary city with population densities equal to real cities.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/cities/could-7-billion-people-live-in-a-texas-sized-city/1124

It is interesting just how much space we actually have on this planet.

Agricultural production could also be insane if we were using all available land to its maximum efficiency. Not even counting any techniques such as Hydroponics or artificial farmland.

Here's another source on the same subject:

http://www.omg-facts.com/Interesting/The-Entire-World-Population-Could-Fit-In/55348

If it boils down to money, then get enough corporate sponsors and give the US and Russian governments enough incentives and we'll be digging up the Moon and hunting down resource asteroids in no time. We can work from there...

Start getting in shape you pudgy puffy minions of Privates. The Draft will commence soon in preparations. The you will truly learn what it is to be underpaid, overworked and non existence social life....you Maggots....




Be cool though if they do space and sea explorations at the same time.

 Jihadin wrote:


sea explorations

O'hell no!

There's giant monster Aliens down there. I know! Hollywood said so!

 Peregrine wrote:
The most important thing we need from space is mining. We've already discovered that certain resources (rare elements used in electronics manufacturing, etc) are in limited supply here, so it's time to start strip mining the rest of the solar system for more. And, unlike other ideas, this is actually a practical plan that can be accomplished with existing technology and provide a meaningful return on the investment.

Colonies are just wishful thinking. There's currently nothing out there worth colonizing, and making a colony just for the sake of having one is a complete waste of resources. And no, it will never solve the overpopulation problem.

I tend to agree with that sentiment, I think the only foreseeable problem with this is timing, to maximise efficiency, you would obviously use an unmanned probe of some sort instead of pulling crap like Armaggeddon, but given how slow we travel with respect to the size of the solar system, we would have to wait until the asteroid's orbit is as close as can be, not sure how profitable it would be once you've spent a large sum of money just getting your mining probe there.