Humans must colonize planets in other solar systems traveling there using "Star Trek"-style propulsion or face extinction, renowned British cosmologist Stephen Hawking said on Thursday.
Referring to complex theories and the speed of light, Hawking, the wheel-chair bound Cambridge University physicist, told BBC radio that theoretical advances could revolutionize the velocity of space travel and make such colonies possible.
(Via The Anomalist.)
I understand and appreciate the fact that Hawking is a "Trek" aficionado. Nothing wrong with that -- except when it begins to adversely color his scientific declarations. The fortunate truth of the matter is that we don't need warp drive (or its equivalent) to colonize space and ensure humanity's legacy; we can start now with a robust yet economical program devoted to populating the Moon and Mars. (Contrary to some pundits, the Moon and Mars aren't mutually exclusive; we can have both if we want them badly enough.)
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President Reagan in 1988 made a similar call “to colonize the galaxy.” But rather than a warning of possible extinction, it was an optimistic call to fulfill our “manifest destiny.” Reagan said, “It is only in a universe without limits that we will find a canvas large enough for the vastness of the human imagination.”
http://theklugblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/reagan-1988-anticipates-hawking_03.html
The best reason to colonize the Moon and Mars is to get the transhumanists, technofiles, and billionaires off the Earth, to save the Earth for humanity and other natural species.
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