Space Travel

It's been a long time since I've been logged onto ATS. But now I’m back, and I’ve got a question.

How long, approximately, do you think it will be possible for us to travel to planets within our solar system, and outside our galaxy? I know that’s a pretty vast difference, but I’m just trying to get an idea.

I'm not trying to get people to think about travel as in a vacation, just merely a scientific mission to a planet, like the moon mission. (Please don't start a discussion on that... lol)

So my opinion is inner-solar system travel is about 25 years, and out-of-the-galaxy travel will be about 100 years still. If not, more.


Schmidt1989

EDIT: And for the record, the 'Insert Google and YouTube Video' buttons say the same thing when highlighted, so someone might want to check the HTML on that.

[edit on 5/29/2007 by Schmidt1989]

In my opinion :

Mars : 2025 - 2035 by the NASA, first permanent colony

Another Star system : 2500 - 3000

Another Galaxy : 20 000 years +



[edit on 29-5-2007 by DarkSide]

Originally posted by Schmidt1989

So my opinion is inner-solar system travel is about 25 years, and out-of-the-galaxy travel will be about 100 years still. If not, more.

I don't think NASA will be putting anyone back on the Moon within the next 15 years, it just doesn't seem to have much financial backing from the government. And the only other destination in the inner solar system is Mars, and that's probably 25 - 30 years before anyone gets there.

Mercury won't be a destination, and the atmosphere on Venus is so dense that no man could survive there with current technology.

Moving out to other stars is not an option until we're sure we have a place to go.
It would be hell to go all the way to Alpha Centari only to find out there was no place to land. We'll probably send probes ahead of us before we even attempt something like sending people.

As far as inter-galactic travel goes, that's just a dream for now unless there's a huge leap in technology that lets us travel at speed that exceed the speed of light.

Mercury won't be a destination, and the atmosphere on Venus is so dense that no man could survive there with current technology.

Venus is way too close to the sun, and the atmosphere is so thick that it keeps all the heat inside (it should be about 480 C). Plus, there are monstrous storms there almost frequently. I don't think we'll ever be able to get a human in there.

As far as inter-galactic travel goes, that's just a dream for now unless there's a huge leap in technology that lets us travel at speed that exceed the speed of light.

Not going to happen Wormholes would be a more accurate possibility.

[edit on 29-5-2007 by ZikhaN]

Originally posted by anxietydisorder

I don't think NASA will be putting anyone back on the Moon within the next 15 years, it just doesn't seem to have much financial backing from the government. And the only other destination in the inner solar system is Mars, and that's probably 25 - 30 years before anyone gets there...

Actually we will be back on the moon in about 11 years if all goes to plan. NASA has a fully funded active program -- Project Constellation -- which will get people to the Moon by 2018 to 2020. They have designed new launch vehicles, namely the Ares I for lifting people into space and the Ares V for lifting the heavy hardware, such as the new lunar ascent vehicle which is now being designed. I believe NASA is going to test launch one of the new Ares rockets next year. They are actively progressing in the design for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle -- which is the capsule that will take them to the Moon. They have a mission plan -- 4 astronauts will fly to the Moon and all will particpate in the landing (unlike Apollo where 2 astronauts landed while one stayed in lunar orbit). Not part of the current funding, but definitely in the planning stages is the permanent Moon base, which is the next step in NASA's long range plan for planetary exploration. The next step stated in that plan is to go to Mars.

Of course, like any government program, funding can be pulled and the project cancelled, but they have been working for some time now on this manned return to the moon -- they even have some hardware built -- so I think it's likely they will go ahead and do it.

Here are some links to NASA's "Project Constellation":

www.nasa.gov...
en.wikipedia.org...

Here is a link to a summary of NASA's "Global Exploration Strategy", some of which, as I said, is funded:

www.nasa.gov...

[edit on 29-5-2007 by Soylent Green Is People]

You guys are way too pessimistic.

Our technology isn't growing linearly, its growing at an accelerated rate. Computers are expected to surpass the computing power of the brain with years, and within 50 years computation power will be incredible. Look around you and see what the crappy computers of the last 20 years have done, and now imagine what these insane computers will be doing 20 years from now. They will be capable of running very complex models. Also, new forms of energy will enable scientists to do experiments more readily, without concerns of drawing massive amounts of energy from the current and inadequate power grids. Don't forget nanotechnology, which is certain to revolutionize science and the world. All these innovations will lay the bricks for even more innovations, and our science will be ever closer to discovering the true nature of gravity and alternate dimensions.

I think we will be traveling amongst star systems and maybe even galaxies within 150 years. That's assuming we don't end up destroying all our scientists and labs by some stupid nationalist agendas or political goals or something.

Consider this, how long would it take us if the planet united around one cause of traveling to other star systems.

Or perhaps aliens will soon aid us in this quest.

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People

Originally posted by anxietydisorder

I don't think NASA will be putting anyone back on the Moon within the next 15 years, it just doesn't seem to have much financial backing from the government. And the only other destination in the inner solar system is Mars, and that's probably 25 - 30 years before anyone gets there...

Actually we will be back on the moon in about 11 years if all goes to plan. NASA has a fully funded active program -- Project Constellation -- which will get people to the Moon by 2018 to 2020.

2020 is 13 years away, and I wonder if NASA has ever been able to bring a project in on time and even close to budget.

I think another country will make it to the Moon before NASA, and more than likely it will be a private company.

Originally posted by anxietydisorder
2020 is 13 years away, and I wonder if NASA has ever been able to bring a project in on time and even close to budget.

2018 is 11 years away.

The Apollo program of the 1960's was an on-time project. Just about all of the planetary science missions NASA has undertaken in the past 20 years has been on time and on budget (congress usually doesn't give NASA extra money for over-budget projects).

So far, Project Constellation is ahead of schedule and on budget. The 2018 early target date for getting humans back to the Moon looks promising.

Originally posted by anxietydisorder
I think another country will make it to the Moon before NASA, and more than likely it will be a private company.

Russia maybe has the ability to develop a Manned-Moon program, but they don't have the money nor the will. China is the next closest competitor, but we are far ahead of them in the kind of mission the U.S. is talking about -- the kind that leads to a permanent base on the Moon within 25 years. The Chinese could probably do an Apollo-type mission within 10 years, but it will be a case of "been there, done that" with the U.S. The Japanese are talking about a permanent base on the Moon in 20-25 years, but they will need the help of the U.S. (a partnership) to get it and the people there.

A private company will need some guarateed ROI (Return on Investment) before they would attempt to spend the many 10's of Billions of dollars required to go to the Moon. There needs to be some science done up there first to see what kind of mining or other money-making endevours can take place on the Moon before a private firm decides to invest in sending people there. That's where the U.S. government steps in...they will provide the up front money to send NASA there and do the necessary research, paving the way for private companies. That's what our government does.


[edit on 29-5-2007 by Soylent Green Is People]

Originally posted by Vipassana
Consider this, how long would it take us if the planet united around one cause of traveling to other star systems.

That's the hardest part, and is why it will take hundreds of years before a united effort will happen.

Consider that 100 years ago the Wright Brothers TM achhieved the first heavier than air flight, oh and technology has certainly slowed down these days.
Come on guys, that little voice in the back of your head is your concience/spirit/imagination, don't ignore it.

[edit on 30-5-2007 by DuncanIdahoGholem]

Originally posted by Vipassana
You guys are way too pessimistic.

Our technology isn't growing linearly, its growing at an accelerated rate.

Accelerating***.

And what you said about a computer in 50 years will be much more smarter than any human and such is only your standard $1,000 home/family computer. Think Of the super computers that NASA will have by then. So thats just adding even more to your statement.

I think I heard somewhere that by 2020 technology's capabilities will be doubling every 3 months, and by 2050 or so technology's capabilities will be double every 72 hours.

Originally posted by Vipassana
Or perhaps aliens will soon aid us in this quest.

Well, we can only hope.

[edit on 5/30/2007 by Schmidt1989]

I think that we'll have begun colonizing our solarsystem within the next few decades. However I think that will be a slow process in itself as there currently just isn't any easy way to get large numbers of people off Earth. Considering how much work it will be, and how big the solar system is I think we will probably spend a good 300-500 years getting settled in before anyone seriously contemplates sending colonists to any extra-solar planets. Ofcourse if we find habitable planets around other stars and we wind up coming up with technology sufficient to reach it (say 15% the speed of light + some form of hibernation/suspended animation) then I'm sure somebody would launch at least a scientific expedition. Who knows though. It's not easy to accuratley predict the future so I am certainly wrong in my predictions.

As for intergalactic travel? I have no idea. A long time though. Probably a very very VERY long time. Though I do think that if we mastered travel among the stars we would probably be on the path to travel among the galaxies as well. ...but again, who knows.

As noted the race is on for the moon to grab resources there. I would not be surprised if NASA at some point is encouraged to team up with big business to finance some of the project.

Virgin's galactic flyer should not be underestimated for it's impact on the general populace and upon industry as a source of inspiration.

I think once commerce gets involved with exploiting the Moon, it will be a short step for big business to get behind manned exploration of Mars too.

I still think 2035 is realistic but it might be sooner if commerce joins the equation.

We have the technology now to go to the moon or Mars, it's just that nobody wants to spend the money on it. Maybe in a few decades it will be cheap enough that we will actually have people living there, at least for scientific purposes, like the International Space Station is now. Say, at a guess, 25 years from now, we could be on Mars? I think Bush wanted people on Mars by 2030, or something like that, but who knows what future administrations will say?

Mercury and Venus might take a little longer, since they have more extreme environments than Mars. Other worlds, like moons, asteroids, Pluto, Quaoar, and similar bodies, will probably be just like Mars, only further away. I'd say that within a few decades of people on Mars, we would start visiting other worlds. Maybe 50 years from now we'd be on Venus, or Pluto, or Ganymede?

As for other galaxies, unless we develop faster-than-light technology or teleportation or something, it will literally be millions of years, even if we suddenly had everything else at our fingertips right now. For this, I'd have to guess, whatever the distance in light years is to the nearest galaxy, that is the minimum time before we will ever reach it, unless we discover new fundamental physics in the meantime.

I've read some ideas about how we might colonize the upper atmosphere of venus. Apparantly the top-most layers have roughly the same air-pressure as the surface of Earth and comfortable temperatures. Oxegen also floats in Venus' atmosphere. So as long as people we're protected from the acidic clouds they could actually live in floating cities suspended from large balloons. Apparantly you can do the same on Saturn. Both places would also be great locations to harvest certain gasses but I don't recall which ones.

Originally posted by DragonsDemesne
We have the technology now to go to the moon or Mars, it's just that nobody wants to spend the money on it. Maybe in a few decades it will be cheap enough that we will actually have people living there, at least for scientific purposes, like the International Space Station is now. Say, at a guess, 25 years from now, we could be on Mars? I think Bush wanted people on Mars by 2030, or something like that, but who knows what future administrations will say?

Mercury and Venus might take a little longer, since they have more extreme environments than Mars. Other worlds, like moons, asteroids, Pluto, Quaoar, and similar bodies, will probably be just like Mars, only further away. I'd say that within a few decades of people on Mars, we would start visiting other worlds. Maybe 50 years from now we'd be on Venus, or Pluto, or Ganymede?

As for other galaxies, unless we develop faster-than-light technology or teleportation or something, it will literally be millions of years, even if we suddenly had everything else at our fingertips right now. For this, I'd have to guess, whatever the distance in light years is to the nearest galaxy, that is the minimum time before we will ever reach it, unless we discover new fundamental physics in the meantime.

Bush wants us on Mars by 2030? Well, Kennedy wanted man on the moon, and he got it. But I don't think it would be fair to compare Kennedy with Bush, hehe.

Anyways, last time I researched about Mars, we were still struggeling with proper landing. Or just being able to land at all for that matter. But maybe I just haven't kept up with it enough. I don't know, please lemme know if I'm wrong.

Why man would want to go to Venus still questions me though. I think it would be more realistic to get the proper technology first so that we can send out probes into planets with extreme conditions such as Venus and maybe even Pluto. Even though they probably don't have much more than just extreme conditions (imagines Pluto with huge ice giants, and Venus with big fire devils)

[edit on 1-6-2007 by ZikhaN]