Is space colonization too technically challenging?
Is humanity is meant to live in space?
Shouldn't we invest out time and money into Earth? What about the problems we have on Earth?
- No. People serious about human space colonization understand the process will not be fast one. It will be slow, incremental, and conservative. This will begin with human expeditions on the moon then will be followed up by building colonies and from there, we will expand more into the Solar System. Technologically speaking, as it is, human-in-space activities are not designed with engineering or low cost in mind. Instead, many of the designs and design elements are made to give space industry contractors business (even at the expense of Space Shuttle safety). We also can't downplay the potential of the human imagination when it comes to finding a way.
Is humanity is meant to live in space?
- There is no intent to evolution that assigns habitats to any species and species adapt regularly to new places .While we have yet to test out the physical or mental effects on other planetary surfaces, we have been able to test out the results living in zero gravity has on the body. Zero gravity physically weakens the human body so to solve this problem, astronauts exercise for both cardiovascular and resistance health while also taking supplementary nutrients. A more serious danger is radiation, however we have found solutions and we continue to find better ones. Radiation only makes certain areas dangerous so we can allow radiation to be a hazard so significant it cuts out human space exploration. Different parts of space ask for different measures to survive and this is similar to our planet.
Shouldn't we invest out time and money into Earth? What about the problems we have on Earth?
- An infusion of money will not solve our basic human problems, such as overpopulation, lack of access to education, lack of access to fresh water, and lack of access to food. We don't need financial change instead we cultural change. Global disaster could strike at any moment and end the human race as we know it. If we wait for humanity to reach a desirable state before we begin space colonization, we risk extinction of the entire human race. We can work on the problems on Earth while also making intellectual and capital investment the colonization of space.
*Image citation:
Smith, Cameron McPherson, and Evan Tyler Suliëman. Davies. "Chapter 5/False Choices: Common Objections to Human Space Colonization."Emigrating beyond Earth: Human Adaptation and Space Colonization. New York: Springer, 2012. 163 Print.
Smith, Cameron McPherson, and Evan Tyler Suliëman. Davies. "Chapter 5/False Choices: Common Objections to Human Space Colonization."Emigrating beyond Earth: Human Adaptation and Space Colonization. New York: Springer, 2012. 151-77. Print.
Smith, Cameron McPherson, and Evan Tyler Suliëman. Davies. "Chapter 5/False Choices: Common Objections to Human Space Colonization."Emigrating beyond Earth: Human Adaptation and Space Colonization. New York: Springer, 2012. 163 Print.
Smith, Cameron McPherson, and Evan Tyler Suliëman. Davies. "Chapter 5/False Choices: Common Objections to Human Space Colonization."Emigrating beyond Earth: Human Adaptation and Space Colonization. New York: Springer, 2012. 151-77. Print.