- PLUT0NIUM 235
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- Honorable Member
lets look at the problems facing our technological advancement into a 'space-faring' species, the first is current world order. we have (right now) the technology to render petrol powered cars obselete, why don't they use it do you think? the simple answer is its not in the current governments best interests to render the worlds biggest industry (the oil industry) obselete overnight, but it is possible. we could go to mars, if you don't believe that im sorry but you are entirely niave, so why don't we? simply because its expensive and very dangerous, also it doesn't hold any real benefits, what advantage does mars give the current regimes?
so i think the problem is our current un-willingness to use the technologies we already actually have, we need an enormous 'event' of some sort to change our thinking, something to show us that we aren't at all safe on this world, something like yellowstone national park eruption, wiping out an enormous chunk of the mainland US for example, the impending impact of a comet/asteroid, something to bring humanity together rather than split them apart, no one nation can take on the challange alone. some huge event would show humanity that its not in our best interests, as a species to continue fighting amongst eachother for something as un-needed as oil or religion (one of the biggest causes of problems on this planet). the second we start approaching the universe as it is, rather than believing in 'higher beings' and what not the quicker we can ensure our survival as a species.
so what technologies do we possess or on the fringes of science right now that are halo-esque?
1) railguns/coilguns: both of them are current, and both of them work. they are in their infancy at the minute but it will take only decades to perfect the technology, so thats not at all hard to believe, railguns are also very very simple.
2) nuclear fusion: again a current but infant technology, fusion reactors power all UNSC ships. again i think fusion reactors are decades (at most) away, so again very very possible, very clean and very efficient.
3) MJOLNIR armour: we are already messing around with powered exoskeletons, so this is again not 'fiction' as such. there is no reason we couldn't make an armoured suit for combat purposes (probably more akin to the SHIELD troops from the game 'ACT OF WAR' rather than MJOLNIR armour), but as time goes on i would guess the technology would become more streamlined and efficient, thus becoming more like the spartan armour, shields however are a totally different problem, since no theory or anything exists on a 'shield'.
4) faster-than-light travel: this is theoretical physics, the current theories on how things work allow for faster-than-light propulsion through space 'folding' or whatever exotic method. the only problem is figuring out how to put these theories into practice, personally believe its only a matter of time before it becomes a reality, think of it this way, humanity has defeated all barriers that have stood in our way to date, don't think light-speed will be different.
5) sub-light propulsion: rockets are woefully ineffective, but their are infant technologies such as plasma rockets and ion engines that could solve this problem, however ion engines provide such little thrust they aren't effective over short trips, only over very long distances where they simply continue to accelerate. plasma rockets are more 'infant' but have much higher thrust potential, plasma engines are whats used in the UNSC fleet i believe, so its theoretically possible right now, not in 500 hundred years.
all we need to do is quit all the crap and work together to ensure that no matter what happens to this planet, we (humans) will persevere, we need to stop all the rubbish about going back to the moon and just freaking do it! stop all the 'discussions' on going to mars, and just do it! both are possible, the only thing standing between them and reality are current world politics...!