The future? Please answer this "poll".

Hello all fellow ATSers. I'd like to start a little "game" of some sort. It's not like a proper game, nobody wins, nobody loses; it's serious and not serious at the same time.

I'd just like to be able to share opinions about the future of the stellar system, and of course, mankind.

I'd appreciate if your answers are serious (even if they are welcome to be funny!). Also, feel free to comment the questions & the answers (your own, as well as others). I am just curious as to see how others see the future (not tomorrow, but talking in cosmological times).

All questions assume that mankind can continue to thrive and evolve on Earth, or even elsewhere. So let's go...

1. In the past century, humans have made huge leaps of evolution. Not so long ago, going into space was impossible. Today it's a dream for many. How long do you think, roughly, it should take before most of people can travel in space, would it be just to the Moon, just like we do today a trip in a plane?

2. Partly linked with 1., when will the first properly speaking Moon City exist? I mean, a permanently inhabitated installation, with frequent exchanges with earth, as a minimum.

3. How long you think it will take us to actually send humans on Mars?

4. How long until we will "terraform" Mars or the Moon?

5. Linked to 4., we know for a fact that the sun is gradually getting hotter and bigger. It is gaining approximately 10% each billion of years that's elapsing, at the moment. I reckon that still gives us a long time, but when do you think that life on Earth will have become impossible?

6. Again, linked to 4. and also 5., do you believe that we will be able to terraform and colonize, properly speaking, Mars before life on Earth is impossible?

7. Given the fact that the sun evolves towards a red giant, when it will gain that stage (in roughly 5 billions of years), do you think that we will be able to colonize Titan or Ganymede for instance and live around a giant gaseous? Or maybe we'd be already much further away than that?

8. Do you think, simply, that humanity can evolve and adapt to the complete and total death of our star, the Sun, which is an event that will take place eventually beyond question, and migrate into a different star system?

9. Do you think that at the time we will be able to travel conveniently and "cheaply" between different star systems (pretty much like in some movies or games), humanity will have a different "consciousness" of itself? (i.e. like human "races" will be of no interest, etc.)

10. Finally, do you believe that at some point in our future history (and when?), we will need the help of a foreign civilization in ensuring our survival?

I am insisting on being serious, please. If some questions are about things that you believe are simply impossible, don't flame, please rather say why you think it's impossible (summarize it if it's long, I don't need a complete report )

Thanks a lot in advance for your answers.

[edit on 15-10-2008 by SpookyVince]

I'll start with my ideas if you don't mind

1. I suppose that before the end of the century, people will be able to take trips in the space. Maybe common space trips will start to happen as soon as 2100, 2150 or so.

2. I can't see that before certainly 2050, and that's optimistic. My guess would be 2100 at the earliest.

3. Another century and it should be done.

4. Terraforming is something that can't happen in less than several millenium probably. I believe it is something that will become possible with time & our advancement, but I would imagine it will take another set of 1000 years before we'd have done it. Maybe the year 10,000? It's a psychological step

5. I believe that with technology, we will be able to contain the rise of the sun's temperature up to a point. However, 10% per billion years, that gives us maybe just a billion of years to get out of here! Unless some event (asteroid impact, ...) sends us into a "winter", or ice age, 10% increase of temperature is a lot, and my wild guess would be that just a few millions of years will be enough to make life here very difficult.

6. Yes. Just when is a very rough guess, but I said above maybe in 10,000?

7. Undecided, but why not? Titan looks like a primitive earth, so... in a few billion years, who knows what's there? I'd say it's a possibility.

8. Yes. Definitely. I believe that we will develop the means to ensure our continued existence.

9. Beyond doubt to me. We will then be just another race in space. Black, white, asian, etc., that will mean nothing. There won't be anymore of Asia or Africa anyways!

10. Most likely. Who knows, maybe it's happening already?

Great idea for a thread!

I will contribute after my hellish commute home from work (shhh... I shouldn't be doing this right now)

A little bump...

I also thought it would be a good idea, but apparently no one is interested. Let's try to give it a second chance...