What Comes After Space Age?

[Dominik]

Well it seems now the main idea is we explore space but what comes after this?

I mean something has always replaced what the world was currently intrested in.

[Erikl]

Well it seems now the main idea is we explore space but what comes after this?

I mean something has always replaced what the world was currently intrested in.

Well consider the fact that humanity was into the stone age for most of it's existance, 200,000 years, and entered the agricultural age only 10,000 years ago (and the industrial age only 150 years ago), I think we can never really know.

Also being that the stone age started before humans existed (as homo sapiens) it is quite possible that the next age will come long after humans have evolved to another specie or that another life form will replace us as the dominant specie on earth but will inherit our technological level.

[JeremyGTS]

welll look at the universe its HUGE i dont think the space age will end i mean theres sooooo many galaxys to explore it will take along time to do so.

[Raptor]

Probably the Stone Age.

[Pax Unum]

Well consider the fact that humanity was into the stone age for most of it's existance, 200,000 years, and entered the agricultural age only 10,000 years ago (and the industrial age only 150 years ago), I think we can never really know.

Also being that the stone age started before humans existed (as homo sapiens) it is quite possible that the next age will come long after humans have evolved to another specie or that another life form will replace us as the dominant specie on earth but will inherit our technological level.

the colonies we spread throughout the cosmos would keep evolving too...

[JeremyGTS]

yeah so what if we did manage to colonize another planet you think after thousands of years on the planet humans may not be considered human anymore? like evolve into some new type of human and what about animals we may bring? sorry to go off topic there but just sparked in my head

[Pax Unum]

yeah so what if we did manage to colonize another planet you think after thousands of years on the planet humans may not be considered human anymore? like evolve into some new type of human and what about animals we may bring? sorry to go off topic there but just sparked in my head

I think probably, they would diverge, it happened here, different color skin, shape of eyes, types of hair... environmental effects like lighter or heavier gravity might cause substantial changes...

Edited March 16, 2006 by Pax Unum

[Astronema]

will humans ever evolve??

[Pax Unum]

will humans ever evolve??

supposedly we have evolved, and should continue evolving...

[Waspie_Dwarf]

will humans ever evolve??

In the not too distant future man will evolve at will rather than by the forces of natural selection.

Natural selection has bee distorted by modern medicine. People survive genetic disease that in the past would have killed them before they could reproduce. (Please do not mis-interpret this statement as any sort of justification for Eugenics).

As we get a greater understanding of genetics and nano-technology we will be able to manipulate our own DNA in a very precise way. As well as the eradication of many diseases it will enable us to evolve in a planned, intelligent way.

At the moment this potential ability will scare people (and to a certain extent rightfully so). This ability would (as do all advanced technologies) have as much potential for good as bad. Science fiction is full of stories of genetically modified super-humans. As a result of these fears much genetic work on humans is banned in many countries.

If in the future man is going to spread through out the solar system and then to the galaxy beyond it may become necessary to utilize these techniques. How much easier will it be to modify man to live on another world than to modify a world to make it suitable for man.

[Hiddnfox]

the Age of Aquarius

[MID]

Well it seems now the main idea is we explore space but what comes after this?

I mean something has always replaced what the world was currently intrested in.

Dominik,

I am not quite certain that the "main idea" is that we explore space. The main idea of many at NASA has been that we do so...for decades. And now, it seems we actually have some funding to begin developing exploratory craft, for the Moon.

However, I am not so certain that the world at large is compelled to be interested in this. They lost interest in Apollo (much as they lose interest in anything) after one landing on the lunar surface. Perhaps, the new project will stir some interest, a decade or so down the road, but it too will drop from the public's concern just as quickly as Apollo did.

....note: I think that if NASA actually considered employing "translators", as-it-were...people to explain details of what is happening in plain english, the interest might be held longer. NASA has never translated what's going on really well for the general public, opting to entrust public commentary to less-than knowledgable media announcers. This is why some of us spend alot of time today teaching a generation about Apollo...

This of course is one of the reasons why space exploration has not only stalled for the past 3+ decades, but never actually got past its initial rudimentary steps. Therefore, the question "What comes after this?" regarding space exploration is a wee premature, since we really haven't begun space exploration in earnest yet, and the solar system is incredibly large, and will take centuries to explore...let alone the universe.

IF we had actually finished the planned Apollo program, and gone into Apollo Applications as it was originally designed, and progressed from there (in the absence of short sighted governments), we would likely today be looking at a rather large-scale human presence in space, both in a fully-functional Earth orbiting station, as well as on orbit and on the surface of the Moon. We would also likely have welcomed back the first explorers of the Martian surface, and might be looking at expanded planetary expeditions.

And even at that, we wouldn't have even begun serious exploration of space.

I personally don't think space exploration has an end. To contemplate what comes after that is as mind boggling as contemplating the scale of the known universe.

[Pax Unum]

will we even have a "space age" if the government keeps control?

who gets to keep whatever finds are made?

[Waspie_Dwarf]

will we even have a "space age" if the government keeps control?

who gets to keep whatever finds are made?

By the government do you mean the American government? They have no monopoly on space exploration. With China now launching men into space and the European Space Agency seriously considering joining Russia in the operation of Russia's next generation "Kliper" spacecraft America does not control space. Japan and India also operate fairly successful space programmes. Israel has launched satellites and both Brazil and South Korea will soon join the club.

Later this month another attempt will be made to launch Space-X's Falcon 1 rocket. This will be the first privately developed and built satellite launcher.

Having said all this it is likely that in the medium term projects such as a manned return to the moon, manned flights to Mars and projects such as Cassini will continue to be funded by government agencies such as NASA or ESA. I expect the current trend of increasing international co-operation to continue.

It will be sometime before true exploration of space (as opposed to commercial enterprises such as telecommunications, Earth resources satellites or tourism) are funded by private enterprise. It is the nature of private enterprise that they will only invest large sums of money when they have a reasonable chance of making vast profits.

Government funded exploration does not have to be a bad thing. Don't forget that Columbus' and James Cook were both government funded.

[Pax Unum]

By the government do you mean the American government? They have no monopoly on space exploration. With China now launching men into space and the European Space Agency seriously considering joining Russia in the operation of Russia's next generation "Kliper" spacecraft America does not control space. Japan and India also operate fairly successful space programmes. Israel has launched satellites and both Brazil and South Korea will soon join the club.

Later this month another attempt will be made to launch Space-X's Falcon 1 rocket. This will be the first privately developed and built satellite launcher.

Having said all this it is likely that in the medium term projects such as a manned return to the moon, manned flights to Mars and projects such as Cassini will continue to be funded by government agencies such as NASA or ESA. I expect the current trend of increasing international co-operation to continue.

It will be sometime before true exploration of space (as opposed to commercial enterprises such as telecommunications, Earth resources satellites or tourism) are funded by private enterprise. It is the nature of private enterprise that they will only invest large sums of money when they have a reasonable chance of making vast profits.

Government funded exploration does not have to be a bad thing. Don't forget that Columbus' and James Cook were both government funded.

I understand, I just don't see real "guy off the street" space age, till the collective gov's or Industry needs 'labor'... like working in Lunar ice mines or digging resources out of asteroids... of course the workers will need entertaining

without some kind of resource agreement won't there be 'friction'?

[Waspie_Dwarf]

I understand, I just don't see real "guy off the street" space age, till the collective gov's or Industry needs 'labor'... like working in Lunar ice mines or digging resources out of asteroids... of course the workers will need entertaining

without some kind of resource agreement won't there be 'friction'?

Why does the space age have to have any thing to do with the "guy off the street?" Only a very small minority of people were blacksmiths or swordsmen but it didn't stop it from being the iron age. Besides which it is unlikely that future off world projects will be labour intensive, robotics will be cheaper. That doesn't mean there won't be economic benefits for the common man back on Earth. At the height of the British Empire, Great Britain was the richest nation on Earth despite the fact that the vast majority of the population never travelled abroad.

There are resource agreements but they are abit ambiguous. Other resources worlds and there resources are the property of no government. How private companies fit in to this is another matter.

[Hitchhiker]

the Age of Aquarius

That was the last 2000 years. The age of Aquarius is over.

[Pax Unum]

Why does the space age have to have any thing to do with the "guy off the street?" Only a very small minority of people were blacksmiths or swordsmen but it didn't stop it from being the iron age. Besides which it is unlikely that future off world projects will be labour intensive, robotics will be cheaper. That doesn't mean there won't be economic benefits for the common man back on Earth. At the height of the British Empire, Great Britain was the richest nation on Earth despite the fact that the vast majority of the population never travelled abroad.

that sounds incredibly boring...

[Waspie_Dwarf]

that sounds incredibly boring...

Who knows? A sufficiently wealthy and technologically advance human society may free the common man from the drudgery of daily work. We'kk have the leisure will the robots do the work.

Possibly the common man that leaves the planet will do so for tourism rather the as cheap labour.

[Pax Unum]

Who knows? A sufficiently wealthy and technologically advance human society may free the common man from the drudgery of daily work. We'kk have the leisure will the robots do the work.

Possibly the common man that leaves the planet will do so for tourism rather the as cheap labour.

if robots are doing the 'work' no one will have any money to be space tourist's. the American auto workers replaced by 'bot's' didn't get wealthier... that might work in a socialist society...

[PadawanOsswe]

what comes after the Space Age is a Second Colonial Age.

which will begin if or when we inhabit other planets,moons,ect...

[Pax Unum]

what comes after the Space Age is a Second Colonial Age.

which will begin if or when we inhabit other planets,moons,ect...

pity we're several generations from THAT 'space age'...

[Dominik]

How many U.S. dollars do you think it would take

to build a personal six manned space craft?

What would the cost of engines, designs, materials,

food for 10 years in space, enviromental suites, etc. be?

Or what materials would just be needed and

where to find said materials without paying for them.

Edited March 18, 2006 by Dominik

[exponential_sly_de]

That was the last 2000 years. The age of Aquarius is over.

Just started.....

I think that the next age is the spiritual age. When we discover what we truly are, not just bodies but spirits. Probably there are ways for us to travel. I always believed Aliens would be very spirtualy developed and connected to the universe.

[Hitchhiker]

Just started.....

I think that the next age is the spiritual age. When we discover what we truly are, not just bodies but spirits. Probably there are ways for us to travel. I always believed Aliens would be very spirtualy developed and connected to the universe.

Oops! My bad

I was thinking of Picies.