Just in case you didn't already feel insignificant!

[Truhan]

I think we will colonise something before anything dangerous happens. Well, it may not be a lot of people but i still doubt the human race will die out in any time frame that we might currently associate with civilisations.

I have my doubts, until we prove we can sustainably colonize the Moon at least. There are lots of problems that crop up with muscle tissue when you spend six months in non-Earth gravity and there are no known nearby planets in local star systems (let alone a colonizable planet).

[Wikiy]

I have my doubts, until we prove we can sustainably colonize the Moon at least. There are lots of problems that crop up with muscle tissue when you spend six months in non-Earth gravity and there are no known nearby planets in local star systems (let alone a colonizable planet).

What makes you think we couldn't colonise Mars? We don't have to really terraform it, but it's surface gravity is twice as strong than the one on Moon. And besides, look at what we've accomplished in the last 50 years alone. I don't have my doubts that in the next 200 years we'll make huge, unimaginable advances.

[Truhan]

What makes you think we couldn't colonise Mars? We don't have to really terraform it, but it's surface gravity is twice as strong than the one on Moon. And besides, look at what we've accomplished in the last 50 years alone. I don't have my doubts that in the next 200 years we'll make huge, unimaginable advances.

That's still one third the gravity of earth, and there's the problem with it's lack of a magnetic field to get rid of dangerous radiation. The Moon, at least, is close and is our first target for colonization. The real question is whether or not sustained colonization (i.e. no resources being shipped from Earth) will be plausible. Even then, the fate of Mars is the same as Earth.

[Wikiy]

That's still one third the gravity of earth, and there's the problem with it's lack of a magnetic field to get rid of dangerous radiation. The Moon, at least, is close and is our first target for colonization. The real question is whether or not sustained colonization (i.e. no resources being shipped from Earth) will be plausible. Even then, the fate of Mars is the same as Earth.

Still, we've got a lot of time to get out of this system. And i do think it will happen one day. As i've said, and this may be a bit idealistic, we have done amazing, unimaginable things. This streak wont just stop.

[Tekkommo]

I plan to live forever.

[DieFichte]

Why should I feel insignificant? I don't give a shit about my neighbour, why should I care about the universe? A billion cubic kilometers of matter floating around in the universe, I can't influence it, and the matter can't influence me...that sounds like a billion cubic kilometers of matter that are quite insignificant.

Short: Your point of view is wrong.

[Tekkommo]

Why should I feel insignificant?

Because you are.

[dangelo37]

I read somewhere that our sun's heat output is supposed to increase by 10% over the next billion years which will evaporate the water on earth. And it's only supposed to be about 11 million years until Mars' moon Phobos either breaks up into a planetary ring or crashes into the planet. Exciting times we live in!

Lol I don't think we get to live in that exciting time :P

OT: I understand that science is built on speculations and then tests to prove/disprove, but something like this is speculation upon speculation with no way of testing theories... sounds believable to me though.

[DieFichte]

Because you are.

No I'm not, why should the only mind and matter in the universe I control be insignificant? Because billions and billions tons of matter floating around me are significant? I can't even use that to blow shit up, or eat it, or cuddle it. Sounds boring and insignificant

If somebody shoots you with a gun, a minimal amount of insignifant matter killed you. But for you, it would be the most significant matter in the universe, because it ended your existance!

[crawdaddy029]

Lol I don't think we get to live in that exciting time :P

OT: I understand that science is built on speculations and then tests to prove/disprove, but something like this is speculation upon speculation with no way of testing theories... sounds believable to me though.

There is a way to test theories, by watching it happen elsewhere.

---------- Post added 2012-07-15 at 11:01 PM ----------

I have my doubts, until we prove we can sustainably colonize the Moon at least. There are lots of problems that crop up with muscle tissue when you spend six months in non-Earth gravity and there are no known nearby planets in local star systems (let alone a colonizable planet).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_Titan

[Tekkommo]

No I'm not, why should the only mind and matter in the universe I control be insignificant? Because billions and billions tons of matter floating around me are significant? I can't even use that to blow shit up, or eat it, or cuddle it. Sounds boring and insignificant

If somebody shoots you with a gun, a minimal amount of insignifant matter killed you. But for you, it would be the most significant matter in the universe, because it ended your existance!

I'm sorry, you are, very insignificant.

[DieFichte]

I'm sorry, you are, very insignificant.

So something you can't influence is more significant for you, than something you can?

[Tekkommo]

So something you can't influence is more significant for you, than something you can?

You're still insignificant.

[DieFichte]

You're still insignificant.

For the future of mankind? Or our planet? Or the future of the universe? Or even for you? Yes. Should I feel insignificant now? No. And still I am not insignificant, because there is something in this universe I'm significant for.
(where is even the line when something becomes significant? If I try to figure it out, the amount of "things" that are insignificant goes towards infinity, so in the end, everything is insignificant, even the universe itself!)

[Truhan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_Titan

The distance is a much bigger problem than you probably think and that article lets on. It would take YEARS to communicate to a theoretical base on Titan and YEARS to send any kind of provisions, resources, or help in the event of catastrophic failure. We sent a probe there nearly ten years ago, that probe took seven years to get there. Unless the resources were coming from a Moon, Mars, or asteroid base, it would also be significantly costly. Again, I have more expectations of an extinction event than of humans managing to colonize and survive through a post-Earth aeon.

[Xuvial]

I dunno where I heard this, but apparently our sun only has 6~ billion years of life left, at which point it will expand into a giant and consume all the planets along with it.

All the planets? Heck no, it'll only consume Venus at the furthest. Earth will still be left un-consumed, but we'll basically become the new Mercury - our surface temperature will cross 400 degrees C, we'll completely lose our atmosphere, our oceans will evaporate off into space and that pretty much means the end of whatever life is still around. Organisms still may be able to survive very deep underground, but not too deep because the earth's mantle can also overheat them.
After that the sun will shed off it's outer layers and a white dwarf will remain which only has a tiny fraction of the heat/light that the sun used to give off, i.e. the earth will freeze over and become the new Mars.

[crawdaddy029]

Again, I have more expectations of an extinction event than of humans managing to colonize and survive through a post-Earth aeon.

Oh I am totally with you in our current state, until we get rid of religion (all religion one way or anuker) and stop offing each other over stupid shit we will never get past the moon. I was just posting an example of places that can sustain life (in theory atm) and can be colonized. There is another moon near Jupiter named Europa that has an oxygen atmosphere and possibly (not probable because it is a sheet of ice) already has life on it.

That probe sent to Pluto 10 years ago and all the other probes are running almost completely on sir Issac Newton. By the time we are colonizing we will have hyper-speed space flight, not necessarily something close to light speed but definitely faster then the current sustained 25000 MPH (give or take)

[DeltrusDisc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_Titan

As much as I know I have no interest in ever leaving Earth (Space both terrifies and fascinates me), this particular part was quite intriguing and cool:

Flight on Titan

The very high ratio of atmospheric density to surface gravity also greatly reduces the wingspan needed for an aircraft to maintain lift, so much so that a human would be able to strap on wings and easily fly through the atmosphere.[6]

---------- Post added 2012-07-16 at 05:51 AM ----------

After that the sun will shed off it's outer layers and a white dwarf will remain which only has a tiny fraction of the heat/light that the sun used to give off, i.e. the earth will freeze over and become the new Mars.

When the Sun goes Nova, I doubt the Earth will make it through that explosion, it will likely get shredded, or at least torn into several pieces from all of the heat-waves and such hurtling out from the Sun. On top of that, the close proximity to the Sun would mean it would get the initial brutal high speed force of it all.

[Xuvial]

As much as I know I have no interest in ever leaving Earth (Space both terrifies and fascinates me), this particular part was quite intriguing and cool:

Indeed, everything was looking nice and lovely about Titan until I reached the part about -179c surface temperature. Bummer. Here I was thinking you could pretty much strap on a gas mask and be good to go.

-179c is nearly as cold as space itself...and unlike space, the thick atmosphere would act like an extremely good conductor. So instead of your blood boiling, you'll pretty much flash-freeze on the spot and die in seconds due to those gasses conducting the cold straight through the skin. Sigh.

When the Sun goes Nova, I doubt the Earth will make it through that explosion, it will likely get shredded, or at least torn into several pieces from all of the heat-waves and such hurtling out from the Sun. On top of that, the close proximity to the Sun would mean it would get the initial brutal high speed force of it all.

True, it turns out the sun has enough mass to go nova

[Reg]

True, it turns out the sun has enough mass to go nova

Was this recent info? Last I knew, the sun was not massive enough to go supernova. It would expand into a red giant, and then collapse in upon itself as a white dwarf.

---------- Post added 2012-07-16 at 02:34 AM ----------

Oh, and for anyone really interested in this stuff like I am, but like me lack the scientific brain to pursue it as a career, The Universe on the History Channel is pretty cool. Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" is really good too, but the Universe has some updated stuff and dives into theory a bit more as well. I am really psyched for Neil deGrasse Tyson and Seth McFarlane bringing back "Cosmos" and making a new TV series. Hopefully it will be out sometime in 2013.