Space exploration?

I have been fascinated about Space since I was a kid not just for how beautiful the stars look in the sky but for also how big is seems to be and to researches it is keeping to go wider but lately we could reach the moon and then we could land a camera on Mars also it is said that they found carbonic beings on the moon and some one cell beings and they were thinking about living in the space
it ofc would be amazing to live in the space but here is the thing do you really think we humans can ever reach that dream of living on the moon and maybe mars live in those greenhouses like homes to keep us in our temp what if the sun was too hot on Mars that we can't live there or it could be no sun on the moon for some time that we can't live

what do u think?? do u think we can live there or it is just a dream that will remain a dream??

Max...have you ever watched the movie ...Enemy Mine? if you haven't I'd really recommend it to you.

About living in space well...when I was a kid and all these sci fi movies come out...who would have thought it possible but now....well not in my lifetime sadly but....if this planet earth is still around and we haven't destroyed it then...yes...I believe so. I know people have booked tickets to the moon but...will they get their anytime soon I'm not sure....eventually they will..maybe go for a holiday? Now what would you pack for a trip to the moon or mars....seriously..I'd like to know what people think would be in their suitcase???

I'd love to go to either...getting bored with Bali and Thailand as a holiday destination :)

*Edit...

I actually bought a planetarium for my oldest grandson's christmas today....if he doesn't like it I'll play with it haha!!!

No I didn't watch it but maybe I will since you recommended

oh you reminded me of our Eglish teacher last year
he asked us to write 2 pages about what if you were chosen to go to the moon what will you take and who will you tell and why and things like that
I honestly did so bad in it I didn't know what to write lol
I mean what would u take if you were going there
ofc you won't take a meal from MAC or KFC =P

lmao Planetariums are so much fun at least for me =P

Really, it's brilliant and only has two characters in in..Dennnis Quaid and...some alien guy haha!!!....how they hate one another to start off with and how they become close friends...breaking the language barrier etc...honestly....I DO recommend it!

I don't really know what I'd take....MacD's or KFC might be good because.. there's so many preservatives in them they'd probably last for ever LOL!

Tourch,marches,knife...just three things that come to mind.

I have a star named after me....got it as a birthday present...my most precious to date :)

Max, while your question is valid. Amusing as well, since Mars is the closest planet we can have human settlements on. It cannot be the final solution that you can think of.

There are an array of anomalies that hinder settlement on Mars. It is highly unlikely that we will have inter solar settlements in the next century to come. We are type 0 civilization transacting our way into type 1 civilization, which is crucial. Two things are about to happen. One, we will soon, in the next 5-10 decades become a global culture planet. Two, we will destroy each other in yet another world war. With each country possessing enough weapons of mass destruction, we are most likely to engage in a war again. How maladroit that we will destroy ourselves due to contradictory arguments on politics and religion. We many gain new technology and weapons in the process, but in the long run, we are stagnating our chances to escape this planet. Anti matter bombs are something to be cautious of. Matter and anti matter collision results in a burst of energy and total annihilation, i.e destruction at atomic levels.

Our primary star, the sun will grow unstable due to the cycles it goes through. It is going to expand, boil the Earth in its way to Mars. In about 5 billion years, it will diminish to a dwarf. Earth, if it survives will no longer sustain liquid water, no atmosphere. In conclusion, no life.

Our galaxy, the milky way and the spiral galaxy Andromeda are approaching each other at about 100 km/s to 140 km/s. We are about to collide in about 2-5 billion years. There are 12 % chances of our Solar system being ejected. Though individual stars may or may not collide, there are various factors that determine the impact of the collision and the resultant output. The two galaxies will form a bigger elliptical galaxy. Humanity cannot risk residing in the current galaxy.

The fate of the universe which we reside in, has been assumed, as a big freeze. The universe is expanding faster than expected. Eventually the universe will grow cold, and if you look up at the sky, there will be no stars at all. The universe may contain dwarfs at best. But they too will be gone soon enough. The universe will be obsolete.

If the string theory is correct, lets hope it is. Then we can escape into other parallel universes. Eventually assure our existence.

Not thinking too far, but just about mars. The government is skeptical because the cost is massive. And subletting a planet the size of mars will take decades. We will not be present to see it. But good news, humanity may be able to have a calculator that implements quantum computing, before we die. And may be nuclear fusion in about 40-50 years.

Awe George....You just blow my dream holiday right out of the water....I was making my packing list up right now as we speak...just in case....I was really debating about the factor 15+ or the 30+ sunscreen and...now....well...would I have needed a visa BTW?

There isnt anything to be scared of, or even think about. What I have mentioned is way, way into the future. Thinking about it on a daily basis is not actually productive for those of us who arent paid to do it. I do it because it is interesting to me personally.

We cannot even guarantee that we will wake up tomorrow morning and yet, we have our alarms set. :P

No worries, just enjoy the vacation.

But...how do I book up George....I've tried looking up ...space holidays.com but...nothing?

Anyway Max...I do still love, and honestly think...it's a huge possibility that people will eventually travel into space for an adventure but...live there?....well...I have an open mind to it....I do love the idea though...

George, I have been hearing that the Earth will dissolve and explode and that we will be deprived of everything for countless times. They've been saying so for more than a thousand years, and here we are...eating, drinking and alive!
: )
Hellon, I am packing up my stuff too. I'm optimistic that we will go there someday.

^ Even though it is just sarcasm, I'd still love to reply.

I am skeptical about the Earth dissolving or exploding. There are chances of a massive volcanic irruption covering the Earth in ashes semi globally, resulting in severe climate changes. Or Earth reverting to Ice age. A solar flare disrupting the magnetic field of our planet. A comet/asteroid impact is plausible in the near future.

They've been saying so for more than a thousand years, and here we are...eating, drinking and alive!

^ Of course you are hun, scientifically accurate telescopes came into existence after the late 16th century. Galileo Galilei's telescope had drawbacks which Isaac Newton perfected. Since then everything that has been hypothesized is more plausible.

Everything before that is not to be believed, as long as the universe is concerned. Geocentrism dominated until the early 16th Century, which was overtaken by Heliocentrism during the late 16th century. Based on scientific observations and not on the books preached by religious/cultural scholars, it was proved that the Earth and other planetary bodies orbited around the sun, being the center of the solar system.

Predictions in the past were made by scholars of different backgrounds and not by scientists studying the universe. Thus, the current predictions are not wrong, they are projected as plausible. And scientists do not claim that these specific scenarios are definitely possible. They have assumed and narrowed down every theory based only on the current circumstances.

And one good example - We can have machines that do not incorporate binary computing (1's and 0's) but quantum computing. Research is being conducted. The world record for quantum computing is 3x5=15. It may seem like no big deal. But we are manipulating atoms to make calculations.

The end of the world predictions are hoaxes almost every time. Scientists do not clam such predictions. However there could be cases where are scientists may have made them, although I havent looked into it yet. The world isnt going to end in 2012, the Mayan Calender does not predict the end of the world, rather a transaction into a different age. In theory, spiritually aware species will have access to higher dimensions, thus higher conscience.

So..basically..what you're saying George is...I can safely buy chrissy presents for my family to fly to some solar planet in the future...safely knowing that the world will not end on 21/12/1012...being a scot...I'm pretty damn tight with money and...I'd hate to waste a penny of it laddy!!!

So the name George is going to stick? :P

And yes Hellon, you can buy chrissy presents for your family. As per the situation, we will most likely be inhabiting moons orbiting different planet, which provides more safety from comet and asteroid impacts.

But I dont think the government is booking tickets anytime soon. If only politicians can find some time from entertaining their mistresses, may be we could find solutions to assure our continued existence.

Yeah it is going to stick =P

so -George- I like to believe that string theory is right but I believe the sun will explode both ways =P

cause it have age and when it grow old enough boom grow to take us all in and then become a high gravity small being in the space ( we call them black holes )

but as u said thinking about this things in daily life have no benefits as we would be dead before these happens with lets say a lot of years

thanks for your awesome opinion I really liked it a lot =)

But George isnt my name :P

The sun is powered by nuclear fusion, with the help of p-p (proton-proton) chain, where hydrogen is converted into helium, 4 free proton (hydrogen nuclei) to alpha particles (helium nuclei).

The sun is almost a perfect sphere of plasma and magnetic fields. So, it will expand in every direction. But it will not become a black hole. For a star to become a black hole, it must be bigger by 10 solar masses to our star, which is the sun. Our sun does not have enough mass to explode as a supernova, so no, no black hole.

Our sun will spend 10 billion years as a main sequence star. It has about 5 billion years left after which it will enter the red giant phase, where the outer layer will expand as the hydrogen at the core is consumed and the core will contract and rapidly heat up. Then it will throw off the out layer after entering the asymptotic giant branch phase and form a planetary nebula. Only a white dwarf will be left behind, which will cool down and fade over billions of years.

WOw.
I envy you, Gaurav :p

What I didn't know that our sun is a dwarf ( in being dead I mean )
oh I wanted it to be a Nitro star ( I guess that what they are called ) since you seem to have knowledge in this can I ask you

what is the anti matter verse in the world and why it was called black matter and how do they assume it exists while there is no effect it have but just being unseen ineffective and non existent ( that is what I believe )
I mean what happened to make them believe it does exist?? can u tell me that please? I searched all over the internet and found nothing
I asked my brother in law who is a scientist in cosmology but it was out of his studies area ( he studies Clusters and why galaxies would change their shape and red light effect things like that )

Edit: but Geo is easier than Gaurav xD

By the time we are ready to leave this planet en masse we won't be the humans we are now I'd wager. Advances in all kinds of nanotech/biotech/and general genetics will mean we'll most likely have drastically improved life spans combined with resistances to things like solar radiation, and mayhap even decreased need for nutrition. In short, by the time we are ready to leave, we'll be more evolved and advanced...one would hope.

This would help to solve one of the problems of humans travelling long distances in space, our natural weakness and short life spans. Of course some kind of stasis sleep tech would be ideal for this purpose but as far as I know, we don't have anything close to that kind of tech...if you discount freezing dead heads in huge vats of very...very cold liquid.

Where we will go is anyone's guess. NASA is woefully underfunded and has not been making the kinds of advances it did during the heyday of wartime in the 60's and 70's, so things are going slowly. The Uk is a genetics leader, not a space one so I don't know much about how things sit around the world.

Our sun isnt a dwarf, not yet. It is a main sequence star, but it follows the stellar evolution phases much like any other star.

Anti matter or antiparticles have the opposite charge to that of the particles but the same mass. For example - A particle electron is negatively charged. But an antiparticle of electron is positively charged and is called as a positron. In theory the universe upon its creation should have consisted of matter and antimatter in equal proportions. But that isnt the case, the universe consists of matter in majority and very little anti matter. There have been different theories about it, but we do not have an answer yet. It remains a puzzle.

And did you mean dark matter? It virtually have no physical mass to display. It does not reflect, emit or absorb light, but it is speculated to bring about gravitational effects on matter. It cannot be seen with naked eyes (regular telescopes), or any other instruments that we have today (x rays, infrared, etc). Many researching bodies have extreme opinions on the existence of dark matter. Experiments conducted over the years cannot precisely provide the evidence to prove existence of dark matter. Perhaps because they contain sub atomic particles not yet studied. In short they assume the dark matter exists, because it influences all matter yet it is invisible, undetectable. It affects the matter yet it does not interact with them.

The right light effect. Do you mean the red shift?. . . . it is based on the Doppler effect. The red shift indicates that a body is moving away from us. And a blue/green shift indicates a body is moving closer.

If you do not know something, just approach the almighty Google. There are articles that you can get an update on daily. Even Wikipedia is a big help, although not everything is accurate there.

Oh and something that you will not find on Wiki. It takes an estimated 65 trillion dollars to produce a gram of anti matter. And 26 Quadrillion dollars for a pound of anti matter.

Here is a video of Michio Kaku explaining dark matter in terms of string theory. What I have written is the generalization of dark matter. There are many videos in the recommendation section on the right side of the page. Just click on the and start learning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4nnpg4N35o

And George and Gaurav, have 6 letters. How hard could it be?

^ Kevin you are correct.

But I have a theory that species evolve only when they are compelled to. Competition aids evolution. We will not evolve naturally since we can fulfill our needs with technology. We will have to manipulate genetics.

Extending life span is tricky you see. Every time a cell reproduces the stand of DNA loses it size, it cannot retain its length, eventually getting damaged. Our cells can divide about 60 times and then die. There are biological limitations. Telomerase can help retain the length of the chromosomes, thus allowing cells to multiply and reproduce. But cancer cells use Telomerase too. They grow uncontrollably. So, for the foreseeable future, extending the life span is doubtful. But what we can do is accelerate the healing process of our bodies using various enzymes. Perhaps strengthen immunity system. In theory, it is possible to develop clones that could be resistant to high levels of radiation.

But I do sincerely hope the future has inter galactic travelling, teleportation, hibernation pods, holographic projectors. We would have inter planetary wars, inter galactic wars. Warp mechanism, cyborgs, androids and what not. Too bad we will not be present to experience to live it.

Speak for yourself mate, I plan to have my massive head frozen for future reference!

^ Do you mean cryogenic suspension?. .Well you should have it done. I am tempted as well.

And are you sure you won't die while suspended? :p

"Speak for yourself mate, I plan to have my massive head frozen for future reference!" Lmfao that was crazy =P but I think Guarav's idea is cooler for me instant transport would be awesome

Love to think we can exist in space or planets like Mars (without the protective gravity) for a long time, but may not be possible without a solar shielded space bubble and earth like conditions. Here were my arguments from the other "Martian colonizer thread," that is still active.

One will have to forever live in a "space bubble" lab/housing equipped with solar shielding, artificial gravity, atmosphere, photosynthesizing plants for O2, water and much more, to survive. Much of Mars (minus a few umbrella spots & poles) today, does not have any magnetic field left, destroyed >4 billion year ago, by massive asteroid collision -so it has no atmosphere (almost vacuous). Water will evaporate almost instantly if you were to try to drink it on the surface, because of the intense solar winds, containing charged atomic particles. (So would the fluids for procreation, for those intending to create families on Mars!). And forget living in ZERO gravity for too long outside the earth's protective magnetic field, you would be annihilated by Ms. Sunshine's periodic cosmic rays/solar flares (she has a temper sometimes, you know /wink), in no time.

Life on Earth and its orbital space is shielded by a magnetic bubble extending 50,000 km into space -- our planet's magnetosphere, which deflects the "solar wind & cosmic rays", highly charged ionizing particles that would destroy animals and plants if they were not blocked by the planet's magnetic field. Scientists believe that ancient Mars originally had an Earth like surface with a thriving earth-like magnetic field and plentiful water and perhaps an atmosphere, as evident by pictures taken by orbiters showing what appear to be ancient oceans, hills and valleys. All this was supposedly destroyed by the impact of at least one Texas size meteorite approx. 4 billion years ago, that turned the magnetic dynamo off (demagnetized the core of Mars) and formed the Utopia crater.

But, if you do find a planet with gravity to deflect Ms. Sunshine's cosmic outbursts and hold the atmosphere, water, the right kind of air mix (needs O2 at least 20%), with recycling mechanisms (photosynthesizing plants or bacteria -cyanobacteria, i.e. blue-green algae), ambient surface temperature and more, perhaps that is possible. So far we haven't found one, have we Gaurav?

So too early for me to look for put my head in the "cryofridge" or activate my immortalizing potion (telomerase) to join you folks in space exploration "to boldly go where no man has gone before".

^ ALS we have not. Yet. Even if we are unable to find a habitable planet, we can build life supporting axioms. We can cultivate microorganisms to produce green house gases on a certain planet, to aid an atmosphere, given that a planet can potentially support a magnetic field to deflect the solar winds. But a planet at an appropriate distance from the sun can be utilized for settlements given that it may not have a magnetic field. Our solar system has no planet beyond Mars that is capable of supporting settlements. But it is best to opt for a satellite of a planet, because the gravity of the planet will direct all objects towards it, causing us minimum damage in he process. Such as moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter has about 64 confirmed moons.

Jupiter is the main reason we havent met a present collision yet. Its gravity deflects objects out of our path.

But you should opt for cryogenic suspension anyways. You will not be resurrected for fun. Your current human body will be of no use, then.Your conscience could be transferred to a clone grown using your DNA. Your clone could never age, depending upon what amount of manipulation has been carried out with your genes. You could potentially be, immortal. Or you could be a cybernetic organism, having you conscience transferred to a cybernetic body. Or you could be part human, part machine, a cyborg if you will. Being able to fly, yield different weapons. Your bionic eye could be capable of scanning via x-rays, infrared, UV rays and other cosmic rays. Depending upon what your cybernetic body is made up of, you could shape shift by rearranging your molecular structure. Regenerate at an accelerated rate. Perhaps vibrate through solid objects. Travel in the vacuum of space without the need to eat, sleep, breath, and yet, you will have your conscience. You would be able to feel the pain if you wish for it. Sensory receptors can be added as a function. Neural networking is advancing day after day.

Oh a scientific debate is about t start
people w8 till I get popcorn this is going to be fun =P

^ Did I leave you with the popcorn in hand? Sorry, the Endeavour is trekking the streets of LA now on its way to its retirement home, so have to pause and witness this magnificient sight first. 1-2 miles/hr, it will travel 12 miles in 3 days to its final destination the CA Science center in Los Angeles, though in its heyday it would go 0-17,500 mi/hr in 8.5 minutes! It fulfilled 25 missions, over 20 years, travelling 197,761,262 km orbiting the earth 4671 times. Here is a link to learn more about this amazing space vehicle :

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

And another with video's updating its track:
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/10/12/space-shuttle-endeavour-embarks-on-12-mile-trip-to-la-museum/

Well, if that popcorn has'nt turned stale in this thread yet Max, Gaurav and other PnQ space buffs, here is a new one to munch on:

http://news.sky.com/story/1017827/london-to-sydney-spaceflight-edges-closer

Would you guys like to book some tickets in these flights @ 19000mph ( 30 x the speed of your typical Boeing) through space without paying a fortune for similar pleasure to Space -X or Virgin Galactic and other companies?
I will join you and Gaurav in the trip if you decide to go, but I first need to ask Gaurav whether I need to carry my own spacesuit, or float around like these folks in the experimental 0G flights:

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

and can I bring my popcorn and soda to watch movies or do I have to eat out of space tested baby bottles? and what if I have a bathroom emergency? haha! let us get some fun here.

(Sorry Larry, I don't think I can merge this post in my prior post to satisfy rule #4...they are more than a month apart and wouldn't make sense, but mods are welcome aboard the planned flight too, maybe they will serve Raspberry Ice nymph drinks on board.)

Http://news.sky.com/story/1017827/london-to-sydney-spaceflight-edges-closer

^ I am extremely skeptical about such an aircraft being commercially implemented. Will not happen for a decade at the least. The prototypes from the 70's and 80's have yet to see production. A new set of problems will arise every time the aircraft will be airborne. Plus, too costly. No assured safety, not until 50-100 successful flights. Thus too risky. Complex. The craft will be able to use the SABER engine only at high speeds, after Mach 3 or so.

So, no worries about the G-suit since such an aircraft wont be in production anytime soon.

Just got home from a trip. Will add later.

Well Gaurav, don't be so sure. The SABRE engine is already in design and testing mode, and so is SKYLON which will be the pilotless aircraft that takes off with 2 of them, one on either side, approved by the ESA and here is its principle:

"SABRE Engines
SABRE's combined air-breathing and rocket cycles enable a vehicle that can take off from a runway, fly direct to earth orbit and return for a runway landing, just like an aircraft.

SKYLON (the skyplane) will use SABRE engines in air-breathing mode to accelerate from take-off to Mach 5.5 which allows 1,250 tonnes of atmospheric air to be captured and used in the engines, of which 250 tonnes is oxygen which therefore does not have to be carried in propellant tanks. At Mach 5.5 and 25 kilometres altitude the SABRE engine transitions to its rocket engine mode, using liquid oxygen stored on board SKYLON, to complete its ascent to orbital speed of Mach 25. "
Here is a ready to take off Skylon vehicle:
http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/space_access.html

Essentially, a SABRE engine, per the inventor, is similar to a jet engine, but works with "pre-cooled air" in the intake so it does not get overheated. In the atmosphere it goes up to Mach 5.5, then once the air drag is eliminated, it switches to pure O2 mode which allows propulsion without resistance to orbital speeds up to Mach 25.
Here is the link to listen to the inventor explaining it in the video:

http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/

He beat you to it Gaurav. ;/wink (This is what dear Hellon would say if she was still here :(
But, I see employment opportunity listed in the link above if you wish to collaborate :)

The SABRE is promising. But commercial use of such an engine will take time. SABRE comes off as a sequel to the Ramjet and other air breathing engines.

Such technology is usually limited to government operations, apparently. You do realize that such an aircraft will aid military operations first, dont you?.

Lets give it a decade at minimum, for such technology to be implemented commercially.

He beat you to it Gaurav. ;/wink (This is what dear Hellon would say if she was still here :(

But, I see employment opportunity listed in the link above if you wish to collaborate :)

^ Advancement in technology must not stop under any circumstances.

And what happened to Hellon?

And this just hot off the Press (TIME article)...

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/05/09/78000-people-apply-for-one-way-trip-to-mars/?iid=nf-article-trend-now

Maybe there are more Mars emmigrants over here in PnQ who would like to join the 78000+ plannning to head there soon.

If they survive the trip or the hazards living in a world with no magnetosphere constantly bombarded by cosmic radiation. Wonder, if they know the real reason they would not be able to return to earth :)

Candidates hailing from over 120 countries (although the vast majority are from the U.S.)

^^^This made me giggle quite a bit...I wonder why most applicants are from America?

Because we are that stupid. Lol

Oh no...that wasn't my thoughts at all haha!!! I just thought you'd all be dying to leave for other reasons LMAO...you've had a bad haul these past few months is all?

If I was much younger and didn't have grandkids...you know what..I'd probably apply...seriously...I used to be very nomadic when I was younger

I go along with Kevin. By the time we are ready for time travel we will have been genetically modified to endure. Once modification becomes routine there will be no limit. Space travel to a location to continue "life" will demand a complete genetic overhaul. All the protections needed will have to become simple and cheap. Skin, brains, lungs, stomachs, muscle, size just an example. All human fallibilities that would hinder would have to be altered. We may even wind up looking like "little green men". let the imaginations run wild...nothing is out of step.

"^^^This made me giggle quite a bit...I wonder why most applicants are from America?"
^
To this I might respond, Americans (in general)happen to be some of the most innovative and daring people on earth as a breed (...though some may disagree). :)

The famous line that defines them, from Star Wars.."To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before" is thought to have been inspired by a line from a White House science advisory committee in Mar 1958 during President Eisenhower's times. And that is what most scifi buffs live and die on :)