Stephen Hawking -- prognosticating genius or crack smoking mad man?

[shavedape]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...en-Hawking-claims-century-true-space-age.html

'In 50 years we'll be living on the moon, and be on our way to Mars': Stephen Hawking claims this century will be a 'true space age'

Putting the first man on the moon may have seemed like a giant leap at the time, but it will soon seem like a tiny step if Stephen Hawking's plans for space exploration come to pass.

During last night’s Live from Space programme, the renowned astrophysicist said we will have settlements on the moon ‘within 50 years’, and believes there will be people living on Mars by 2100.

And if we fail to colonise new planets, Professor Hawking believes the human race faces imminent extinction because there will be too many of us for the Earth to support.

 

[ParagonPie]

While obviously we need a space program to propel ourselves into the stars, it is mainly for resources than actual space or room here on earth. So what he is stating that in the future with the increase of population we won't have a population control scheme? The first thing we have to master long before we go out into space is the ability to sustain ourselves on this planet, the means to provide food/water indefinitely. So that part makes his argument moot.

If we just fling ourselves onto other planets, we won't be solving the issue just delaying it. Plus just sending people to other planets, well wouldn't that mean we'd have to build habitat domes which has a limited space capacity which again would mean population control in birth rates. If you have a group of people or large body of people on another planet completely self sustainable, then why can't that same technology be used here on Earth, surely that in of itself would solve the crisis of food/water.

I say this, let the synthetics do all the work, harvesting materials and potentially terraforming planets like Mars, humans can stay on here or in outer space in orbital habitats (which would be constructed via a space elevator). Problem solved me thinks, and at very low cost!

 

[Overmind One]

While obviously we need a space program to propel ourselves into the stars, it is mainly for resources than actual space or room here on earth. So what he is stating that in the future with the increase of population we won't have a population control scheme? The first thing we have to master long before we go out into space is the ability to sustain ourselves on this planet, the means to provide food/water indefinitely. So that part makes his argument moot.

If we just fling ourselves onto other planets, we won't be solving the issue just delaying it. Plus just sending people to other planets, well wouldn't that mean we'd have to build habitat domes which has a limited space capacity which again would mean population control in birth rates. If you have a group of people or large body of people on another planet completely self sustainable, then why can't that same technology be used here on Earth, surely that in of itself would solve the crisis of food/water.

I say this, let the synthetics do all the work, harvesting materials and potentially terraforming planets like Mars, humans can stay on here or in outer space in orbital habitats (which would be constructed via a space elevator). Problem solved me thinks, and at very low cost!

The planet earth has several remedies for overpopulation which are beyond the control of humans. Plague (exacerbated by crowding), famines, and sterility. Like grasshoppers, when the spaces between hatching spots has shrunk to a certain distance (crowding), normal grasshoppers change into locusts and they behave differently and even look different:

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/...-from-harmless-grasshoppers-to-swarming-pests

When it comes time to cull the Human Race, Nature will do it for us.

 

[ParagonPie]

The planet earth has several remedies for overpopulation which is beyond the control of humans. Plague (exacerbated by crowding), famines, and sterility. Like grasshoppers, when the spaces between hatching spots has shrunk to a certain distance (crowding), normal grasshoppers change into locusts and they behave differently and even look different:

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/...-from-harmless-grasshoppers-to-swarming-pests

View attachment 29612

When it comes time to cull the Human Race, Nature will do it for us.

I'm more bothered about the resource issue than anything else. Plus the population is only increasing in developing areas not western, at least at the dramatic rate we see in those countries. So if we have enough resources, space will never be a problem, plus there are already plans to shrink the human race over a number of generations.

Like I don't see how colonizing space would get rid of this 'huge crisis' we suffer or are going to suffer in the future. Great, we've got 100 people on Mars, now then what about the other hundreds of thousands that we have to transport over there, give shelter, food, water, medical. Oh wait you didn't think that through Mr Hawking did you. And lets just ignore the fact that you can't build everything on Mars, some things have to be produced here then shipped on over.

Also little fact is we'd have to several research in deep space centrifuge technology, since mars is a long way a way, the muscle degradation to the person. Well, you'd only be able to send people in their 20's because they'd have the muscle mass to loose, then spend the next ten years rebuilding themselves from a number of years in zero gravity. And complications like blood loss, the increased pressure on the eye etc.

So he'd pour all of our resources to send a few thousand people to mars, which by the way isn't exactly safe, while the rest of us rot. Great idea.

I hate to disagree with the man, but we have to lose this perception that one day humans will be exploring on another world in another solar system. Sorry but galactic bodies are really far apart, we'd have to be immortal synthetic transhumanistic beings to survive the incredible distances and other effects out there.

All what this is, is just political. They want a man (or woman) on Mars and that is all, which is fine, a sustainable colony for a 100 researchers, fine, terra forming mars over the next thousand years, fine. But in 60 years having a full fledged colony? Ain't going to happen. You know I am still waiting on my robot girl friend.

 

[Bluce Ree]

The planet earth has several remedies for overpopulation which is beyond the control of humans. Plague (exacerbated by crowding), famines, and sterility. Like grasshoppers, when the spaces between hatching spots has shrunk to a certain distance (crowding), normal grasshoppers change into locusts and they behave differently and even look different:

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/...-from-harmless-grasshoppers-to-swarming-pests

View attachment 29612

When it comes time to cull the Human Race, Nature will do it for us.

So, some of us will become Morlocks and eat the regulars?