Neil deGrasse Tyson: We Stopped Dreaming

[Nessaj]

A project that definitely could use more attention these days.

#Penny4NASA

http://penny4nasa.org/Penny4NASA/Home.html

Great project, amazing venture, wonderful video.

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[Kafein]

The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.



In a far away or close future, we will have to go out of our cradle, or die. We are better doing our best to colonise space as soon as possible.

[SixThumbs]

It's a nice optimistic idea but aren't there some consequences on a human body that spends too long in space? I think we'd need to find a way to manipulate gravity in a contained area and create artificial atmospheres along with it if we want to plan any extended missions into space. Along with this we would need some sort of propulsion that wouldn't have a fuel limit for us to get vast distances in a reasonable amount of time. On a side note I've wondered about a project to take a portion of earth, city-sized or something like it, and just sending it floating into space.

I like the case he presents about us not really dreaming for the future anymore but the technology that has been produced/exploited hasn't really been used for any practical or widespread, gainful means for populations as a whole. Each new advancement and invention in history more or less came with an accompanying pitfall at one point or another. Agriculture brought populations that needed to expand and become macro managed, industry brought a sense of abundance and direction for an excessive populace, and information broke some communications barriers and allowed me to share these useless mentations. I'm not saying we could or should go back but what sort of dream for the future will prevail when we're passed the point of "standing room only"?

[Overdriven]

When you watch this video to go with the OP's it's pretty inspiring:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D05ej8u-gU&feature=related

[Angantyr]

Though none can doubt the grandness of the perspective, the philosophy presented in the video challenges to some extent my impression of NASA as a military satellite and rocket project and that the money is better spent exploring the as of yet undiscovered (and almost assuredly profitable) Sea. Of course if it were up to me all the sciences would receive a lot more economic aid, but I think it is a matter of long vs short sighted growth.

But yes, if not in a nuclear wasteland humanity's future may be among the stars, so we might aswell get started now as later.

[B3RS3RK]

I might sound pessimistic, but I dont think our future lays in the stars.

I wish I could believe that, but it´s rather unlikely as it is now.

We are too seperated and too busy with other problems.

I think we should concentrate on OUR earth first.

With optimated usage of ressources the earth could sustain far more than the 7 billion people we currently have.

And to reach that point, where we can live on planet earth without further destryoing it, united and in peace, must be the first of all goals.

If we manage to do that, the next goal might be reaching for the stars.