NASA and DARPA Plan 'Hundred-Year Starship' To Bring Humans to Other Worlds And Leave Them There For

If NASA could ever get around to building a decent re-launchable shuttle with a decent cargo area, they could assemble the ship in orbit - no need to launch it from the ground ....

Originally posted by SpartanKingLeonidas
I would have zero issues with never coming back.

I would however have an issue with not being a leader.

I was born to lead.

Mmmm. Yes. Quite.

Well, you'll be pleased to know you (and a number of others on this thread) have earned your place on Ark B of the fleet! Congratulations. Ark B will be sent out first, followed a short time later by the rest of us...

..

reply to post by scott,aussie

all go anything to get away from this mad world lol, hey that link dont seem to work, popsci.com

My friend, we can hop on a spacecraft and set up camp on a planet a million galaxies away and nothing will change. We will be the same screwed up species just living on a different planet. Until humanity addresses it's failures here, all we will do if we venture out to to other worlds is screw up the rest of the universe.

reply to post by NightGypsy


This project is probably more likely to be "Project Depopulation." "Come on people, hop on this gargantuan spacecraft and take a trip to other worlds where the possibilities are limitless. Get away from boring, humdrum Earth."

A gazillion people pile on the spacecraft and....SEE YA! Ejected out into space never to return.

No way, man. Not me. I'm not fallin' for that load of malarkey.

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas


I think we have big problems on Earth to deal with first..... the leaders of this World have got us into big problems so they should fix it first before setting plans forth for space exploration....

When does that shuttle take off anyway? That one with the photos of our faces?

I didnt send my photo in but i know some of you lot did.....

I have waited my whole sentient life for this sort of announcement. Arthur C Clarke wrote on many occasions of generation ships, knowing as he did that in order to make trips to and from a potential colony viable from a logistical and financial point of view, that one would have to make the vessel capable of mass transport , to provide maximum payload delivery per dollar/pound spent .
I would imagine that along with the myriad personel aboard (who themselves would have to be carefuly selected for thier skills, knowlege , and psychological fortitude), there will have to be all the equipment required in order to build not just temporary shelter, but the building blocks of permenant dwelling, scientific research centres, vehicle stations, satellite comms groundstations and so on.
I would also assume that along with the ground based tech there will be a requirement for the ship to be able to launch comms satelites before the landing groups get dirtside, deploying to orbit straight from the under belly of the ship. This would provide a much needed sense of familiarity , connectivity between all the members and groups in the new society , right from the get go . I think it will be important that the communications are provided for from day one, if only because psychologicaly speaking, the sort of disconnection that the travelers will encounter , so far from home, will be STAGGERING. They will require as much family feel, as much connection to those who share thier fate, as can be, and from as early as possible, to prevent fracture of society before it has taken root effectively in the hearts and minds of the landers.
One thing I find very suprising however, is the timing of this ventures announcement . It seems to me (although I am far from expert at matters financial) that the best time to announce, and begin work on a project of this magnitude would have been when the western world was not wracked by insane legal and financial lockdowns due to the high chance that the entire democratic world is on the verge of some major and terminal catastrophy. Surely this project would have been better started in the middle of the decade we are at the end of now, rather than after, when money is tighter? Certainly not now , when the future is even more uncertain than normal.
Mind you , I suppose its possible that the bods at the top of the command chain are thinking it might be an idea to preserve some of the species by farming them off to Mars because they are worried about the lifespan of the human race on Earth. Perhaps they are right. Mankind historicaly seems to enjoy destroying itself by degrees, and we keep comming up with all these new ways to do it.
However, putting the political and tactical advantages and disadvantages of the timing of this event aside, I am thrilled with this news. In terms of progress, this is exactly what I have been hoping for since I was able to think. Proof that mankind , scientificaly speaking, is reaching out toward the far ends of his potential , rather than solely obsessed with its own demise.

Our names will be sitting on Mars together. I think it is so cool to be part of history. I'll meet you at the rover in 2050 , I'll be flying Virgin Galactic coach, and we'll discuss the last 40 years in conspiracy.

This story is all good and all but 1.1 million isn't going to go far i don't think. If you consider that we can't afford to go to the moon.

I'll stay behind, thanks. There's just a couple itty bitty problems with the whole premise:

PROBLEM UNO: The adults on the ship are just a resource, your kids, or perhaps their kids, might see the destination, but certainly not you. You're there to run the ship, make a couple babies, teach the babies to run the ship, then....

PROBLEM DOS: Soylent Green. Need I say more?

reply to post by blamethegreys


Im still game

reply to post by blamethegreys


Logicaly speaking, the only problem with a generation ship , would come from a lack of alturism on the part of some people. If you cannot do something for the good of future generations , then you arent worth a seat in the damned craft in the first place, thats the bottom line. It takes guts and determination to sculpt a future with your progeny as the scalpel, and some people just havent got the tools for that upstairs if you know what I mean, but thats not a problem, because those people wont be on the ship , assuming the people doing the hiring are remotely qualified for the task.
As for the second problem, really ? You went there? REALLY ?

No way! Earth is a beautiful planet. I am not tempted in the least to leave her. Good luck to those wanting to go, you'll need it!!

reply to post by Night Star


You wouldnt want to see what else is out there? What wonders there may be out there in the void? Is imagination enough for you? Discovery is one of the fundamental foundationstones of our entire civilisation on this Earth. Without exploration and discovery, without travelers brave enough to encounter the unknown, our people would have died out millenia ago. The moment we loose the wanderlust, the moment we become satisfied with what we know, and cease searching for that new thread to follow, the new clue, the new mystery, that is the moment at which we will begin to truely die as a species.

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist

I think we have big problems on Earth to deal with first..... the leaders of this World have got us into big problems so they should fix it first before setting plans forth for space exploration....

Well the people planning space explorations are not the leaders dropping bombs on each other, they are people that have dreams beyond building the next bigger toy of destruction.

Now tell you what... when I see you standing on the steps of the Whitehouse with a sign that says "Ban the Bomb" or "Get out of Iraq" then you may have a point.

In the meantime, since NO ONE is going to take on ANY government leaders to stop the insanity, maybe, just maybe a few of the right kind of people will make a new foothold. And they will be far too busy for hundreds of years just getting a colony established to be concerned with war games

One thing I have noticed in these threads...many of those skeptical about UFO's and Aliens existing, are the first to say "No way would I go" or "Mankind needs to stay Earth bound"

Funny that...

Originally posted by TrueBrit It takes guts and determination to sculpt a future with your progeny as the scalpel, and some people just haven't got the tools for that upstairs if you know what I mean, but thats not a problem, because those people wont be on the ship , assuming the people doing the hiring are remotely qualified for the task.

It will be the type of people who sailed across the ocean in three tiny ships being sure that they would fall off the edge of the world to discover a new world

It will be the type of people who faced the fully armed and trained British Army with pitch forks and kids barely old enough to shoot that created America

It will be the type of people who ran onto the beaches of Normandy knowing full well that their chances of making it were slim at best, but the did that for the good of the many, to save you from having to learn German

We don't need the other type getting on the spaceship. Better to stay at home in your comfy little nest that you didn't really earn and leave the exploration to REAL men and women

Quite interesting, although the grammatical error in the title (should be 'to take' not 'to bring'...) was slightly annoying

most of the people on ATS wouldn't even get past the psych evaluation. I mean if you don't trust the government at all and you believe aliens visit the earth, why in the hell would you sign up to go on a space mission, never to return? Surely it's just a big trap...

A single Human can spend 450 million to build a swanky hotel in New York and yet such a noble idea gets only a paltry 1 million dollars plus!!!!!????

A single entity or conglomerate can build an empty worthless white elephant on an Abu Dubai at the staggering costs of billions and yet cannot fund this noble enterprise???!!!!

Oh...I forgot. Those HUMANS, or should i say inhumans, were biz beasts whom will prefer to see profits or the illusion of it, rather than engaging in worthy causes for the human race.

They would rather throw a few pathetic coins to charity and make a big fuss in the media on how charitable and noble they are. Such are our elites in this modern age, a bunch of self serving nincompoops as they had proven themselves to be.

Originally posted by SpartanKingLeonidas


Is it any surprise that N.A.S.A. and D.A.R.P.A. have teamed up for this project?

Between going into outer-space and defense related expenditures I can see the dollar signs rolling around, secret slush funds, private vacations, and whatnot funding this project.

I'd be more surprised if were the Rural Electrification Administration and the FDA, wouldn't you?

Seriously, if you're planning a space mission, are you trying to say it's odd that NASA's involved?

Next, it's not like they're out laying a keel with their $1.1 million. It's barely enough to rent an office and hire some staff. The thing's a study. Further, it's political suicide, so that's probably all the money you'll ever see go into it. Can you imagine being the president that signs off on this, the ship gets to Mars and they can't make a go of it? Dying slowly, message by message until there's nothing but static? Yeah, buddy, that wins elections right there.

It is about time. The only way we get anything done is by doing it. Waiting for technology to just appear that is designed to give you what you need wont ever give you what you need. You have to go for it.

DARPA has access to black budget money so...this is an excellent "team" to make this happen.