139 replies to this topic

[Eddy]

I would imagine that if a black hole were to form close enough to us to consume Jupiter it would also consume Earth.

Oh come one, that one was clearly FF7.

1. If it will consume the Earth and Jupiter then it must consume Mars and some asteroids too since they are inbetween.

2. What's a FF7?

[Christian]

In Final Fantasy 7, There's a mad scientist who caused chaos ( Not that much chaos though ) and the main antagonist who summoned a meteor to collide with the planet using a small little rock or something. They're using it as a comic relief here.

[Eddy]

In Final Fantasy 7, There's a mad scientist who caused chaos ( Not that much chaos though ) and the main antagonist who summoned a meteor to collide with the planet using a small little rock or something. They're using it as a comic relief here.

Isn't that like the Mega Man quest that Peteo made?

[Plissken]

Also, Jupiter, it's impossible for us to colonize ourselves into other planets. It's just not possible.

Lolwut?

I'll agree that it's not possible at this time. But when we have sufficient technology to be able to make a livable area on another planet it'd be just like any other colony that ever existed. Remember what they called the New World? The vast, endless forest covered land mass that people thought could never be colonized within a hundred years or so. Yeah, we've proven we can colonize and expand in an extremely quick time period.

[Jupiter]

Also, Jupiter, it's impossible for us to colonize ourselves into other planets. It's just not possible.

Wo! I did not see this...thanks for pointing it out Plissken.

Well, Christian, consider this:

The ISS is operated by Expedition crews, and has been continuously staffed since 2 November 2000, meaning the ISS programme has maintained an uninterrupted human presence in space for the past 9 years and 186 days, which is approaching the current record, set aboard Mir, of 9 years and 257 days.[15] As of 18 March 2010, the crew of Expedition 23 is aboard.

Also consider that there have been permanent human residences underground and in the arctic regions, for decades. And that people have lived underwater for extended periods of time (not least of all in a submarine...) for ages. We are capable of acclimating ourselves to formerly inhospitable places.

Further, consider this: Timetable for Moon colony announced...while Obama--unfortunately--scrapped that plan it certainly was possible. Right? I mean... a lot of the smartest scientists in the world thought it was.

And that's all with today's technology, or near-future technology. I mean, in decades hence, lots will be possible. Not just through advanced rocket science and robotics, but also through rapidly developing fields like materials engineering (nano-engineering) and genetics. And in centuries hence...yeesh...think of what the world was like in, say, 1500, or 1800 even!...and in millennia hence...

I have no doubt that colonizing other worlds will be possible, even if it is a massive, extremely long term, and mountainously expensive endeavor. Not only that, I think it is highly probable to the point of near-certainty. Not only that...I think if there were a massive worldwide effort, it would be possible inside of 10 years or so to set up a colony on Mars, let alone the moon, which would be easy.

It's just a matter of perceived cost-benefit and political will, technology will not be the primary obstacle.

EDIT: We are already practicing for this eventuality.

Edited by Jupiter, 05 May 2010 - 02:35 PM.

[Eddy]

Yep. I got a pretty weird theory:

The Milky Way will turn into numbers causing our planet to be a '3' and every object will be '3'.

[Eddard McHorn Van-Schnuder]

Wo! I did not see this...thanks for pointing it out Plissken.

Well, Christian, consider this:



Also consider that there have been permanent human residences underground and in the arctic regions, for decades. And that people have lived underwater for extended periods of time (not least of all in a submarine...) for ages. We are capable of acclimating ourselves to formerly inhospitable places.

Further, consider this: Timetable for Moon colony announced...while Obama--unfortunately--scrapped that plan it certainly was possible. Right? I mean... a lot of the smartest scientists in the world thought it was.

And that's all with today's technology, or near-future technology. I mean, in decades hence, lots will be possible. Not just through advanced rocket science and robotics, but also through rapidly developing fields like materials engineering (nano-engineering) and genetics. And in centuries hence...yeesh...think of what the world was like in, say, 1500, or 1800 even!...and in millennia hence...

I have no doubt that colonizing other worlds will be possible, even if it is a massive, extremely long term, and mountainously expensive endeavor. Not only that, I think it is highly probable to the point of near-certainty. Not only that...I think if there were a massive worldwide effort, it would be possible inside of 10 years or so to set up a colony on Mars, let alone the moon, which would be easy.

It's just a matter of perceived cost-benefit and political will, technology will not be the primary obstacle.

EDIT: We are already practicing for this eventuality.

While colonizing Mars is a very real idea, and something a lot of people consider to be in our future without a doubt, it is not possible to live on Mars within ten years has passed. Mars needs to be terraformed properly before we could think of living there without any kind of life sustaining equipment keeping you alive, and this can take up to 50-100 years, but after that, it's very much possible, I am sure. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a guy who knows his science, but as I read your post, I just happened to be watching a documentary on that very subject.

Of course, simply "being there" for extended periods of time is possible even now, but it'll be over my dead body that somebody can actually live there without any sort of spacesuit. And I mean "over my dead body" in a literal sense. I would love to be alive when the day comes, but it simply isn't going to happen unless somebody finds the fountain of youth or something... and even then, I probably won't get my hands on it, cause I'm sure it'll be stored away in some military facility... on Mars.

[Jupiter]

While colonizing Mars is a very real idea, and something a lot of people consider to be in our future without a doubt, it is not possible to live on Mars within ten years has passed. Mars needs to be terraformed properly before we could think of living there without any kind of life sustaining equipment keeping you alive, and this can take up to 50-100 years, but after that, it's very much possible, I am sure. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a guy who knows his science, but as I read your post, I just happened to be watching a documentary on that very subject.

Of course, simply "being there" for extended periods of time is possible even now, but it'll be over my dead body that somebody can actually live there without any sort of spacesuit. And I mean "over my dead body" in a literal sense. I would love to be alive when the day comes, but it simply isn't going to happen unless somebody finds the fountain of youth or something... and even then, I probably won't get my hands on it, cause I'm sure it'll be stored away in some military facility... on Mars.

Yes, this is pretty much right. I didn't say "without a space suit". But you could set up a colony without terraforming the planet--we had plans to set up a colony on the moon, but we were not going to terraform it. Also, from what I know 50-100 years is extremely optimistic for terraforming Mars...we don't know what kind of technology will be available in the future, but from what I understand it would be an incredibly long project that might take thousands or tens of thousands of years--and certainly it would require new technology. But. that does not mean we could not set up some sort of biosphere, and I think with all hands on deck worldwide the 10 year estimate is pretty generous for something like that...it's possible we could do it much faster.

Also, if your interested in the terraforming of Mars, or just want to read some good SF: I highly, highly recommend the Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson.

[JOKER]

NOTHING WILL HAPPEN 2012 i am a religueos person and im certain of it

[Plissken]

NOTHING WILL HAPPEN 2012 i am a religueos person and im certain of it

Wait, what does religion have to do with it?

[Adem]

Not sure. Despite my disbelief in the whole 2012 thing, you never know what day could be Judgment Day, as only God and Christ himself knows that. Of course, I'm still doubting the whole Twenty-Twelve theory 100%, but I won't deny that there is always the possibility. For all we know, the world could end tomorrow. Or within the next hour. Nobody will ever know for sure until it happens. Any guesses up until that point are pure speculation.

[Old-Skool]

I like to imagine some completely exotic scenario. For example, a woman growing 500 feet tall and crushing everyone in the most erotic way possible. Not cause it's "hot" or anything, just cause its hilariously absurd.

[Eddy]

Well the end of the world could mean about when all Galaxies were crunched together smaller than an atom. Mabye the Big Crunch theory might happen in 4.94 billion years (IT'S BEEN PREDICTED!!!)

[Eddard McHorn Van-Schnuder]

Yes, this is pretty much right. I didn't say "without a space suit". But you could set up a colony without terraforming the planet--we had plans to set up a colony on the moon, but we were not going to terraform it. Also, from what I know 50-100 years is extremely optimistic for terraforming Mars...we don't know what kind of technology will be available in the future, but from what I understand it would be an incredibly long project that might take thousands or tens of thousands of years--and certainly it would require new technology. But. that does not mean we could not set up some sort of biosphere, and I think with all hands on deck worldwide the 10 year estimate is pretty generous for something like that...it's possible we could do it much faster.

Also, if your interested in the terraforming of Mars, or just want to read some good SF: I highly, highly recommend the Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson.

According to the documentary I was watching, it could be done in 50-100 years. They were talking about deliberately causing global warming to... make some crap happen, which will eventually let plant life grow, which will in return give us oxygen. Right now, we're not even trying to cause global warming... think what we could do if we actually wanted to make it happen. I'm not saying that this documentary has to be right, and I really aren't smart enough to know anything else on this subject, but I don't see why they would lie in said documentary...

One thing I found rather interesting about what one dude wanted to do, was that he wanted to let the planet evolve by itself, after we have made it possible to sustain life up there... this guy wanted to see what would happen if a new form of life was allowed to evolve on the planet, with only enough human intervention to speed up the evolution process a little. Wouldn't that be amazing?

[Lemon]

Regardless of how it happens, I won't be around for it