- PLUT0NIUM 235
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- Honorable Member
don't think there is so much reason for being pessimistic, as a species we humans are capable of anything, I have no doubts of that, we just need to quit the religious rubbish, fighting each-other over stupid 'my god is not your god...' and similar things. I would say I am against humans being religious and believe that our fate is in our own hands, not the hands of some 'ethereal' higher power, just a damned shame more people don't share this opinion!
artificial gravity, would say it is possible personally, since gravity like all forces we have encountered so far is quite clearly quantifiable and alterable, we can create quite complex magnetic fields in modern times, even though it is still quite a complicated force to get your head around. same sort of thing does with opposing gravity, to create anti-gravity devices, since again (and physics lecturer agrees) gravity will have an opposing anti-force, like all other things in the universe.
orbital elevators I would argue will be made in the future, since it will always be better than using something like chemical rockets, or plasma rockets. since the only thing an orbital elevator will require to lift objects is a stable, reliable source of power, with nuclear fusion just over the horizon that should be no worries. once we construct our first orbital elevator (probably equatorial) massed transport of raw materials into orbit will begin, the 'tether' station will grow from the small station it will start as, likely an orbital shipyard will appear. spinning sections for habitation using centrifugal forces will appear as the station grows, eventually large dedicated space craft will be built and begin out expansion into the cosmos, as our technological juggernaut progresses more and more, bigger more sophisticated ships will be built taking us further and further into space, a settlement (possibly research and mining) will be established on the moon, then Mars, then missions sent to places like Mercury in the search of raw materials (since Mercury should be rich in metals, due to how the solar system formed!), all of this will come from a single orbital elevator, that is how important I think it is that organisations quit the bull and just do it!
again, faster than light travel, according to my physics lecturer is likely possible, given time as long as we don't destroy ourselves or get wiped out by some grand natural disaster, we will discover how to do it! humans have an innate lust for knowledge, we are driven to better ourselves as a species and expand our horizons, you could say we are built, designed and programmed for this!
so to conclude I think that our destiny is their for us to reach out and take, we are a fledgling space-faring race, hell there is a great chance of humans becoming something incredible, there is nothing stopping us taking the universe by the balls and taking our place amongst the stars. there are in my opinion only three things holding us back, firstly religion (one of the most pointless things ever 'devised' in our short history!), secondly politics (how often has a US president said we are going to do this, do that, and then just let his words fade to nothing, humanity needs a leader not a puppet!) and thirdly fear, I think overall the vast majority of people are afraid of what will happen when we leave the confines of our beautiful, safe haven, Earth and take on the hardships the universe has to offer. history has taught me one thing, regardless of where, regardless of the climate, regardless of what is happening (ice age, huge volcanic events, massive storms and so on!) humans can endure, and we can prosper! so I for one thing that nothing is impossible, that we have no limits, no boundaries we cannot smash through, no reason the vast majority of technologies in the Halo Universe cannot become reality!
[Edited on 05.15.2011 7:05 AM PDT]