Well, I just watched a video on youtube from a channel called Vsauce. Its talked about space a bit before but the recent video got me a bit sad. In theroy, we could visit other stars. In practice though, it seems unlikely. With our slow, current means of space travel, it would take 5-50million years to colonize and explore our own galaxy, in theory. The video goes on to say the 2008 Joint Propulsion Conference concluded its improbable we will ever explore outside of our galaxy. There was even some math given on our own growth rate. Given the pace of our progress so far when it comes to travel velocity and Earth's mean economical growth, the soonest we would reach a star that is 6 light years away is 1,104years.
With all of this information, I am a really saddened. Not only will I never see beyond the galaxy in my lifetime, but humans as a whole may never see it at all. I always thought that hey, even if its not in my lifetime, we will get there eventually. Now the only way I see that happening is if someone somehow makes a incredible invention that can defy our current laws.
What do others think? Does this information make you believe that there is no hope for our race ever getting beyond our own galaxy? If so, would this be a very strong argument for why another life forms, should one that is advanced even exists, would deem us unworthy of being visited? Assuming they were capable of it.
Here is the whole video if anyone wants to see it. It also gives a bunch of links to the various information used in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD08CuUi_Ek
Lots of science stuff on it. Interesting for most who enjoy science, even if its not about other galaxy's.