Kuuhun

Tunnettu fyysikko Stephen Hawking sanoo, etta sailyakseen hegissa ihmisten on loydettava uusia asuinpaikkoja avaruudesta. Voisimme esimerkiksi rakentaa pysyvan tukikohdan kuuhun kahdenkymmenen vuoden kuluttua, ja marsiin neljankymmenen vuoden paasta. Lajin sailyminen hegissa riippuu tasta.

Onko meilla asiat taalla jo nain huonosti? Jos emme itse tapa toisiamme sadan vuoden kuluessa, jotain katastrofaalista tapahtuu maapallolle, ja kaikki tuhoutuu sen seurauksena...

Kuinka tallaisten nakyjen kanssa voi elaa toiveikasta elamaa? Mita kertoa lapsille kun he kysyvat milta maailma nayttaa viidenkymmenen vuoden kuluttua?

En usko, etta viela ollaan tassa vaiheessa, mutta toisaalta en ole myoskaan fyysikko, enka ymmarra kaikkia riskeja jotka meita uhkaavat.
Joka tietoa lisaa se tuskaa lisaa.


Physicist Stephen Hawking says humans must spread out in space to survive

By SYLVIA HUI The Associated Press

HONG KONG — The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk a disaster will destroy Earth, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday.

Humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years, the British scientist told a news conference.
"We won't find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system," added Hawking, 64, who received a rock star's welcome to Hong Kong on Monday.
Hawking said that if humans can avoid killing themselves in the next 100 years, they should have space settlements that can continue without support from Earth.
"It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species," Hawking said.

The scientist — author of the best-seller "A Brief History of Time" — uses a wheelchair and communicates with the help of a computer because he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease in the United States.

Alan Guth, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said, "If he's talking about the next 100 years and beyond, it does make sense to think about space as the ultimate lifeboat. [But] ... I would still think that an underground base, for example in Antarctica, would be easier to build than building on the moon."

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company