Humankind Wants to Spread among the Stars

There are very few human beings that haven't, at least once, thought about going to space and exploring the stars. The fact that they hang over our heads every night, and some of them blink, always makes us wonder what's beyond them, and what answers await us at the end of the known Universe. “If the whole thing is just an ever-expanding bubble, what mysteries await beyond?” People ask. And probably most astronomers chose their jobs because they have been fascinated by this question and want to be a part of those who try to find answers.

And keeping into account the fact that 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, it only stands to reason that we ask ourselves, 400 years after the first telescopes were used, if we have what it takes to go to space. The general international consensus is that this is our destiny. Space agencies around the world say that the missions scheduled now are just the beginning and that, after we've finished exploring our solar system, new destinations await us.

 

One of the main problems that lie ahead is that of a means of transport. Many don't know this, but a trip to Alpha Centauri, the nearest solar system, would take approximately 75,000 thousand years to complete, at current speeds. The costs would rise to about 3 trillion dollars, which is around the amount of money that the US pays for its electricity per year.

 

However, there is good news. The pace of innovation that humankind has exhibited over the past five to seven decades is staggering. The first rockets, used by Nazi Germany in WW2, traveled over the English channel fairly slow, whereas the fastest man-made object made so far, NASA's New Horizons craft, travels to Pluto at about 10 miles per second. Now, consider the fact that most domains have experienced similar improvements, and that the microprocessor has only been around since the late 60s.

 

Some say that the pace of innovation will only become faster, with new materials and building processes being invented literally each day. Quantum materials will soon replace ordinary ones, and super-advanced rocket engines are already researched in China. New types of fuel appear a few times a year, and chemical mixtures are constantly discovered. But the real question is whether we are ready to go to the stars. Undoubtedly, if we put our mind to it, we could.