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Stephen Hawking: Colonize Space or End theHuman Race

By  Mark Whittington | Yahoo! Contributor Network – 7 hrs ago

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Professor Stephen Hawking, one of the most famous theoretical physicists in the world, just

celebrated his 70th birthday, despite suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease that has rendered him wheel

chair bound and dependent on computers to communicate.

In a radio interview marking his birthday, which covered a wide range of topics, Hawking repeated

his oft stated assertion that humanity must colonize space in order to ensure its long term survival.

 What sort of events could destroy the human race if it stays on one planet?

Hawking mentioned the possibility of nuclear war or c limate change as being the cause of human

extinction. A recent article in Discovery magazine also suggested that a global pandemic-possibly as

the result of a bio-engineered disease-or an asteroid or c omet strike could end the human race on

Earth. The New Scientist chimed inwith the possibility of a gamma ray burst caused by the explosion

of a nearby star zapping the Earth with lethal radiation. Even events that do not wipe out the human

species-say a total economic collapse-could end civilization and cause the deaths of billions as

modern infrastructure breaks down.

How would space colonies ensure the survival of the human race?

The late Arthur C. Clarke often said, as recently as a 1999 interview in the New York Times, that it

 was dangerous for the human race to have all of its eggs in one basket, i.e. the Earth. The idea is that if 

human civilization were spread out to sev eral worlds, starting with the moon and Mars, a calamity 

occurring at any one world would not result in the end of human civilization.

 Are there efforts to colonize space ongoing?

Despite the fact that there is a lot of talk about exploring and eventually settling space beyond low Earth orbit, the answer is sadly no at this time. The Constellation program, which was envisioned to

eventually lead to lunar colonies, was cancelled by President Barack Obama. That does not mean

there are not ideas floating around to settle other worlds.

The moon is an obvious venue for the first human settlement. A Howstuffworks article describes how 

a lunar settlement might be set up. The moon has water, in the form of ice at the bottom of 

permanently shaded craters at the poles, oxygen chemically bonded with lunar soil, and a variety of 

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other resources necessary for human survival.

Other visionaries point to Mars. Robert Zubrin, in his book "The Case for Mars," envisions the Red

Planet as a second branch of human civilization. Eventually human settlers would use terraforming

techniques to turn Mars into an analogue of Earth, with breathable air, running water, and an active

 biosphere where humans could walk around without need of space suits.

The late Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill suggested, in a book "The High Frontier," a more radical approach to

colonizing space. Instead of going to another world, he envisioned humans-in effect-building their

own worlds using extraterrestrial resources to build huge, rotating space colonies where people

 would live inside a rotating cylinder large enough to build small towns in. Such a colony was depicted

in the science fiction TV series "Babylon Five."

 Mark R. Whittington is the author of  Children of Apollo and  The Last Moonwalker  . He has written

on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington

 Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.

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Stephen Hawking sent

an upbeat message …

…Ever since former Gov.Mitt Romney took aswipe against theconcept of lunar … Full

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Stephen Hawking has

repetedly stated …

…British scientistStephen Hawking wasforced to miss asymposium to mark his70th … Full Story »

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JohnH  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  • 4 hrs ago

If NASA wants to build a colony in an area that isn't currently capable of supporting humans

hey could start with Camden and Detroit. Seriously, why would we ever think we could

sustain an extraterrestrial presence when we can barely get our cities to function?

You want to spend money and resources on something? Take an area that is utterly destitute

and completely rebuild it as a planned, fully integrated 21st century city. Show what can be

done with advanced building materials and methods, redundant and renewable power 

generation, and transportation that is integrated in a systematic way.

Separate them from the rest of the country and pre-select residents for skills and

emperament, just as NASA would for a colony. It wouldn't be necessary or advisable to

completely isolate them, but their infrastructure shouldn't depend on the national grid, and their 

food production, entertainment, news, and local government should be as autonomous aspossible. This wouldn't be a "biosphere" type of experiment, it would be a example of what we

can do when technology is used in a systematic way from the ground up, instead of applying it

piecemeal in an ad hoc manner.

e'd learn a lot about issues that we'd actually face if we were to build a Lunar or Martian

Colony, but we'd also have a prototype for what a modern population center should look like.

All we really need is LEADERSHIP.

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Peter   4 hrs ago

hy don't we elect INTELLECTUALS into office instead of lawyers? Seriously...I'm certain

SCIENTISTS would ensure our progression rather than penny pinching politicians who's priority

is to EXPAND THEIR INTERESTS at our expense. Thank you America...You truly exhibit

remarkable intelligence.

Jerryleetx  • Dallas, Texas  • 6 hrs ago

1st babies born on Mars......would be Martians ?

BB  4 hrs ago

Humans never think that far ahead. When it is far too late and the human race is doomed then

we will say lets colonize space. Most people are just concerned with the weekend or where

here next vacation will be. Our short sighted pleasure seeking and self centeredness have

doomed our future generations...

Robert F  • Bossier City, Louisiana  • 4 hrs ago

humans are too busy killing each other in wars to colonize anywhere

Donald Duck  3 hrs ago

The problem is any colony on a remote rock in this solar system would remain dependent on

Earth for survival (food, materials, etc.) for eons.

It would be an artificially supported existance. Maybe Mars might have the

resources for a self substaining colony, but could mankind thrive there?

Mark  4 hrs ago

yea like thats even realistic right now , what planet do we colonize ? and how , somebody has

been watching way to much sci fi !

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Heather   3 hrs ago

A Higgs Boson walks into a Catholic Church. The priest yells out "Hey, get out of here! We

don't let your kind in here."

The Higgs Boson says, "How can you have mass without me?"

Kevin  2 hrs 29 mins ago

hat we need to do is pick some of the biggest idiots on this planet, send them up into space

in a rocket, and test them for 6 months and see if their idiocy will screw us over in space like

hey do here.

DC Michael  4 hrs ago

Standard fare for sci-fi fans. No doubt as to the truth of the problem, but the technology and

he desire for such a project is still decades away. Funny thing is, while growing up, I always

hought we would have reached that point by the 21st century.

Chris  • La Marque, Texas  • 4 hrs ago

Please get me off this planet. im surround by morons!!!!

G  2 hrs 18 mins ago

Stephen: You're a smart guy, you have influence. Put a program together (with funding) and

we'll go. Deal?

Or will you just be part academic establishment, and expect others (namely government) to do

it for you?

Mikey  • New York, New York  • 4 hrs ago

You know the guy's a little woo woo out there but I agree...ever live in the inner city? Know

what its like? NYC where I live is the shape of things to come folks, and its miserable and dirty

and disgusting and the people here are more worthless than plague infested rats...you want to

live on a planet that looks like NYC? You want your kids, grandkids, anybodys kids living on

planet that looks like NYC? The "toilet-ization" of Planet Earth is underway, hiphop, global

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warming and Islam, that the best the future has to offer..so I say be nice to your grandkids

kids and get the government and private industry to develop a deep space passenger ship

complete with suspended animation technology and get somebody off this rock.Worry about a

location later..maybe we can bio-alter some algae and grass to take over mars and make

some 02...Mars has its problems but looks pretty good compaired to traveling 100000000000

lightyears away...

“Old Man” Crenshaw   3 hrs ago

Crenshaw remembers what happened to them space farmers in the Aliens movie. Them alien

hings wrapped em in cocoons and used em to incubate their young. Gross. Be careful about

his.

Chris  4 hrs ago

I do not think the Constellation program has truly been canceled. We blasted a hole in the

moon a few months ago (possibly demolition for construction), and we just sent two probes up

here. So, if the program has been canceled, why the sudden interest in the moon?

John Wayne  6 hrs ago

To bad we're busy developing new weapons to kill each other and rule the earth. Our current

situation on this planet is the equivalent of European nations knowing about a new continent

and then resolving to fight to the death over Europe rather than build a few ships. F***ing

pathetic. Guess we deserve to go extinct...

Joe  • Killeen, Texas  • 1 hr 42 mins ago

colonize space? we can't pacify religious fanatics here on earth, or raging politicians whodraw-and-draw our taxes for their own benefits..it's not all lost, but a significant challenge MR.

Hawkins...how do our frail bodies to survive, space is not exactly friendly - riddle me this???

JK  • Middletown, New Jersey  • 3 hrs ago

The problem I have with Hawking's assertion (he has made it before) is that he is tying the

whole future of humanity on some future technology that may allow us to colonize space. This

echnology may exist or it may not. It is foolish to put all our eggs in one basket and ignore

he current problems here on Earth.

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Let's deal with the problems we have on Earth for right now: controlling nuclear weapon

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America First  4 hrs ago

China is planning to have permanent settlements on the moon by 2020.

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