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I wasn't aware this reality check was needed, but it's worth noting that we haven't even left Earth yet (going to the Moon doesn't really count, and we've since
by Udo 10y ago
I wasn't aware this reality check was needed, but it's worth noting that we haven't even left Earth yet (going to the Moon doesn't really count, and we've since lost that capability again). If we were a solar-system-wide civilization, I can see how it would make sense to talk about the feasibilities of interstellar travel, but today we are so far off it's not even an issue. We also don't have any ambitions to change that, so extrapolating from today's state of affairs, we'll probably remain thoroughly Earth-bound until we reach a tech level that enables individual people to have space programs (if we ever get there).
It's fun to think of probe-based exploration, but apart from acceleration/energy based problems we haven't even figured out how to make machines last that long. This is all very, very far off.
- jakub_h 10y ago> going to the Moon doesn't really count, and we've since lost that capability again What we've lost is will. The capability is definitely better today, even though still not affordable enough to fit today's budgets.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- Houshalter 10y agoWell I think he means we couldn't just go to the moon next year, even if we wanted to. All the engineers and factories and equipment behind Apollo is scattered or lost. It would basically require starting a whole new moon program from scratch and designing and building entirely new spacecraft, etc.
- Udo 10y agoIndeed, yes, that's what I meant. But Jakub isn't wrong either, we lost the will too. But I thought I addressed that, but apparently not clearly enough.