When might we leave this planet? Do you ever think about what's going to happen to us if we just set here on this planet? Could something happen to suddenly make the sun go out? Or could asteroids be heading our way, even as we speak?
In fact, many of the threats that might lead us to consider off-Earth living arrangements are actually manmade, and not necessarily in the distant future. The amount we consume each year already far outstrips what our planet can sustain, and the World Wildlife Fund estimates that by 2030 we will be consuming two planets’ worth of natural resources annually. So why don't we try to find another planet faster? Is it because we are too busy using up the Earth's resources, or is it because the resources we are using up make it harder to upgrade our technology?
Given the risks humans pose to the planet, we might also someday leave Earth simply to conserve it. Do you think if humans want to survive for hundreds of thousands or millions of years that we must ultimately look for other planets or technology to stay around? Are you concerned about the Earth being able to sustain life? Why or why not?
Robert McClinton
13 comments:
No one really knows when the “human” race will leave Earth. Some people predicted this year, it didn’t happen, some people predicted in the year 2000, we’re still here.
This is some things about Earth and our Sun:
Astronomers and scientists believe that the planet Earth may in fact be consumed by the sun, eventually. After billions of years the sun will grow enormously, and turn into a red giant and kill Earth. But this is also contradicting, as the sun reaches the late stage in its stellar evolution, it loses huge amounts of mass through powerful stellar winds. As the sun grows bigger and expands, the sun loses mass, and in return causes the planets to spiral outwards. The question is if the Earth will die or spiral out of control. When the Sun does begin to bloat up, it will go quickly, sweeping through the inner Solar System in just 5 million years. It will then enter its relatively brief (130 million year) helium-burning phase. It will expand past the orbit of Mercury, and then Venus. By the time it approaches the Earth, it will be losing tons of mass every year about 8% the mass of the Earth. Astronomers say that the sun will expand into the Earth within 1 billion years. The sun will first melt the ice and evaporate all of the oceans, and then the solar radiation will blast all the hydrogen from the water. The will never have oceans and therefore become molten again. Even though Earth has only 1 billion years to survive, it is inhabitable way before then and the Earth will collide with particles of gas and its orbit will decay, making Earth spiral inwards.
Even if “we” found another planet it doesn’t mean it will be inhabitable like Earth. Besides, how would everyone get there? Would people have to pay, therefore resulting all the poor people being left behind to die on Earth? Even if people found another planet, where would everyone work, live; how would they eat, how long would it really take to sustain life on another planet as we have it now in Earth? The Earth has a lot of resources, even resources we haven’t even found yet. I don’t think humans will live longer than 1 million years. Simply because of the fact that the sun will dry everything up and I think we would all die of heat strokes, before either the sun eats Earth or spirals outward. Even if the Earth spirals outward it would be out of orbit and may go into a black hole, who knows? I’m not concern about Earth because everyone is going to die one day. God sent humans to this planet for a reason; the human race started here and should end here. God has put everything on Earth for humans that we need.
Lori
it still may be possible to leave this planet in the near future. I think when they finally show the next generation of space shuttles. we can see how far advanced we really are in space travel.America is not gong to let another country or world power have control over our airspace. Look at area 51. they are not spending billions making donuts. you say america does not have funding for this sort of thing; you help everytime you go to the gas pump. the national debt; just political greed. we would all be better off if we would limit all politicians to a two year term only.Presidents included. It would give our ozone layer a chance to heal. Seriously; there are a lot of great minds out there. if it was not for greed and political red tape, there would be more space stations capable for families to live there.
kevin h
I think the only way the entire population of Earth being moved to another planet will happen is if it’s an act of God. You are talking about an entire planet, and a planet that is the only known planet that has living beings. What other planet do you think we could move to? I don’t believe we will be here to see the end of planet earth. God has greater plans, and it’s not saving Earth. I’m not saying that we today will see the “end of times” as people talk about from the Bible. But I defiantly believe that leaving earth to protect it is not going to happen.
This question was uncomfortable for me to answer. Sorry it’s so short!
Heather Denam
No one ever really knows when we will leave this planet. People have come up with all kinds of ideas, but so far, they've all been wrong. And the ones for the future could be wrong, too. Asteroids have failed to wipe out major parts of the earth so far, but I suppose a freak accident could happen and a large one could head this way, giving us only days left to live.
I don't think much about what would happen if we just set here because even if the human race does stay here for thousands of years, I plan on being dead before I could find out. However, I don't think we could move the entire race to another planet. There's over 6 billion people on this earth. First, you'd have to find somewhere that has an environment that could cater to all of those people. Second, there would have to be enough space for people to be able to live and move around.
Although we have imposed more threats to our planet in the past few years, I do not think that the earth will stop being able to sustain us. Out of all the planets, we were put on this one to live. It must have been chosen that way for a reason.
-Hannah Miller
I really don't think we will ever leave this planet, but at some point we do need to realize there are other means or resources out there that we all need to utilize for some of the everyday tasks. I don't think about the "end times" as Heather described because I believe to live for the day not to worry about things I can't control. If the sun were to go out again that is out my control, but also know I can always help the environment and in turn that would help our planet sustain a more viable future.
I do believe that the end of our space program could one day come back to haunt us, because we are relying on Russia to supply us with information...not sure if this is a great idea. I believe other planets need to be looked at to see if there are products we can use or see if they is sustainable life on other planets.However, I don't believe we need to worry about the earth ending tomorrow nor do I believe it will end anytime in my life time.
There are many other alternate fuels out there that we as a country need to start using and yes sometimes the way we make these is more harmful than what we are using to begin with that is where some of our technology needs to go, and we also need to be conscience of how much waste we as a planet are making so we can either stop producing so much waste or figure out better ways to use the waste we are creating to help produce better fuels for the environment.
Buddy Carpenter
We know that man has already been to the moon. So in a sense we have already ventured away from Earth. I believe what you are asking is when will mankind begin to venture outside of Earth in large numbers?
Presently, NASA is working on developing space craft which are capable a carrying people great distances into the universe. Private corporations are now selling seats on aircraft which are designed to allow a person to see earth from outer space.
I believe that mankind will need to eventually develop the ability to travel to other solar systems. We are presently using up our resources at a great rate. If we don't develop a method of travel which allows us to explore other planets, we will find ourselves in a situation where there are just not enough resources to go around.
I don't believe that we are in any danger of losing the sun though. It's nature is to burn. I do know that there has been a report of an asteroid headed toward Earth. Scientist are presently working on ways to divert it.
Presently I don't feel that we are putting enough money into developing methods of mass travel to other planets. Of course we can use the argument that we have not found another planet that can accommodate humans yet. It's kind of a catch 22. If we don't put the money into finding another planet, then we probably never will. If we want to survive extinction, we must ultimately develop technology which allows us to remain on earth without using the resources we are presently using. I am greatly concerned about the Earth being able to sustain life. All evidence presently points to the possibility that one day it won't.
Khattab
The Earth is in a very delicate position right now…literally. It’s been said that if the earth moves 50 feet to the left we will freeze to death, or if we move 50 feet to the right we will burn to death. There is a possibility of a supernova but calculations determine that THAT won’t be for millennia to come. There’s also the possibility of everyone frying to death due to the depletion of the ozone layer and so much greenhouse gas. The Earth’s polar ice cap is depleting (The North Pole) due to the axis rotation. This basically means that if it gets TOO WARM that the cap will melt and the earth will flood itself… or drown US rather. It is a scientific fact that we are using up the Earth’s resources at an alarming rate. I think the best planet to live on would be Mars. Only because Mars has ICE. And if we heat the ice up we will have purified water to drink and sustain life. As of today, I don’t think technology is advanced enough to establish life on a new planet. So until then, I think people will just keep living on planet Earth. The next generation and the generation after that will have to think of a solution. I’m still concerned with the world and all, but by that time it’ll be someone else’s world and someone else’s obstacle.
Pikachu
Alex Powers
I think we should not only because of the resources but for the new resources. Our technology could advance very well if we did. Just think of all the new things we can learn by doing it. We could find new life, new cures and new opportunities. If we can make it there then we can do anything. The only thing we really need to do is come up with the money to do it. If we have to co op as it is then we need to find more funds. It’d take away from us if we didn’t because the other country could take credit and we lose credit. Honestly we need the credit to keep going. It will also help with moral if we have that stuff. More moral would put our country back up there which we need. It’d also be good to be known for a good thing, not for all the things we are known for in the recent years.
I truly don't believe that anyone will end up living somewhere else other than Earth. I'm not saying it's impossible but witht he way our society had changed over the last two hundred years it seems like it would be highly unlikely for them to try too hard. We have been coming up with ways to try and make this a better environment to live in and i think that the government will just keep trying ont hat until they succeed.
Not to mention, transporting millions of people to another planet would prove difficult. Sure they could just make a few trips in one or two shuttles, or even a lot of shuttles, but then they would have to come up witht he money to do that.
I would love to live to see the day that someone comes up with a reasonable way for people to actually leave Earth, but if it does happen, i don't think it will in my lifetime. People have a way of saying things that they think are gonna happen, but in the end it never does. There have been multiple times when the world was supposed to "end" but it hasn't, just liek there have been multiple rumors of us leaving earth, yet i still don't believe it.
SJAG <3
I don't think we will truly ever leave this planet. Over the span of many many years technology has brought us so far. Granted not all of it has been in a positive way, but we learn from our mistakes and do what we can to correct them. If the sun were to go out we would come up with some other way to provide light. If an asteroid big enough to wipe out a country or even planet earth were headed our way we would find a way to divert it like in the movie Armageddon. As far as the amount of natural resources we are using at an alarming rate running out someone, somewhere will come up with alternative resources like are done everyday now. Finding another planet that can sustain human life cost way more than we can invest now. That money would be put to better use figuring out how to make fuel from garbage. I don't think humans will ever leave planet earth just to conserve it, we are to greedy for that. I don't think that we will need other planets to survive hundreds of thousands of years but we will definitely need better technology, and will have achieved better technology. I am not worried about Earth being able to sustain life many years from now because it has already sustained so much in the many years past and people are always looking for new ways to provide the things we need and some we don't, how to clean up things we've done and prevent those things from happening again.
Amber Johnson-Garcia
I agree that, eventually, humans are going to either find another planet or we will die out. It is not even an opinion, it will be a fact. Earth can not take the abuse that we are giving to it for much longer, but we have no where else to go. So far, we have no knowledge of another planer that could sustain human life, and that is out problem. I think that eventually we will find another planet, but the question will be, can we make it there in time? Will we have the resources to take our people and send them into space and move them into another planet. My answer is no, I don't think we will ever be able to do that.
I, for one, am not really concerned about the Earth staying around for my lifetime. I am almost positive that when I am alive, the Earth will be also. As for oil, who knows about that, that will most likely run out in my lifetime.
With technology, I still think we have a long way to go. If you just look back 20 years ago we were inventing the computer and internet. Look now at where we are. We are rapidly learning and expanding every year and, even though Americans may not figure it out, someone will come up with better technology every year.
Jake Bock
Yes I am concerned about the planet and how we will keep it intact. We've constantly using more than we can make. But I also think that if we start thinking and using better ways to prevent running out of natural resources we could save our planet. I try as much as possible to recycle and use recycle products. But I'm one out of billions of people who try. If we all pitch in I think we could make this planet a better place. One day this world will end just like one day it begun. The only one who knows this is the one who created it. I pray that this planet strives to create life and better ways of living so that our children's children can enjoy this planet as much as we have.
Makeisha Riley
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