14 DAY TRIAL // The idea belongs to a group of scientists, who believe that humankind's future is away from Earth. They say that robots will most likely pave the way, if we are to move to other words.
For many years, researchers have known that the current rate at which the world's population, consumption and economies are developing is unsustainable.
Eventually, we will strain the planet above the limits of what it can bear, and our species would then fall under a grave threat. One possible solution is simply to move out.
Other solutions are those proposed by experts today – such as going vegetarian to save meat, consuming less food and energy, and becoming overall more efficient in everyday life.
But most people seem unable to accept such sacrifices, which they erroneously perceive as someone infringing on their liberties and constitutional rights.
Leaving Earth aboard spacecrafts is however not any easier than reducing people's impacts on their environments. The amount of changes our species would undergo is mind boggling.
For instance, we still have no idea what long-term exposure to zero gravity would do to our bodies.
If what happens to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is any indicator, then the sight is not a pretty one. Even six months away from gravity can have devastating effects.
Those who spend six-month stays aboard the orbital facility exhibit severe muscle and bone mass loss, and it's safe to say that the effects are exacerbated by the passing of time.
As such, a person spending two years or more aboard a spacecraft would need years to regain strength in the body.
This is why robots are so useful, says the senior curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Roger Launius authored a paper that appears in the September issue of the journal Endeavor.
“If it's about exploration, we're doing that very effectively with robots. If it's about humans going somewhere, then I think the only purpose for it is to get off this planet and become a multi-planetary species,” he argues.
And using cyborgs may not be a thing of science fiction, as many seem to believe. “There are cyborgs walking about us,” Launius explains.
“There are individuals who have been technologically enhanced with things such as pacemakers and cochlea ear implants that allow those people to have fuller lives. I would not be alive without technological advances,” he concludes, quoted by Space.