Many scientists are sure that sooner or later humanity will colonize space. Some even consider it inevitable - unless, of course, a person dies out and rats or ants take his place. To successfully settle in the Universe, you must first become cyborgs, create an army of robots, genetically modify and learn how to throw information not on a USB flash drive, but on a bacterium. We tell you what is required for space exploration.
Spaceship
To start colonizing space, you need to hit the road with something. Alas, it is not as easy as settling on your planet. It is assumed that the planet closest to Earth, suitable for habitation, is located at a distance of 14 light years, that is, more than 131 trillion km from us. Far away, you must agree. But if we master such long space flights, and the issue of sending the first colony of people is resolved, then how many people should the spacecraft hold? How many daredevils should take the first intergalactic flight?
For example, the MarsOne project plans to delegate 100 people in 2026 to begin colonizing Mars. But Mars is our neighbor, and travels to other galaxies last 150 years and require a different number of people. Portland University anthropologist Cameron Smith argues that it is necessary to send at least 20 thousand people, and ideally all 40, to settle on the new planet. Naturally, of these 40 thousand, at least 23 thousand should be of reproductive age. Where are so many? For genetic diversity and in case of a possible catastrophe, if this suddenly destroys part of the population. Well, and not to be bored.
Cyborgs
Promotional video:
The term "cyborg" appeared in 1960 - it was coined by scientists Manfred Klines and Nathan Wedge, reflecting on the possibilities of human survival outside the Earth. The idea is to "add" mechanical and electronic components to a biological organism (ie us). It was assumed that this would increase a person's chances of surviving in extraterrestrial conditions.
This idea was developed (perhaps to the extreme) by an expert on cybernetics at the University of Reading (UK) Kevin Warwick. He proposes to leave only the brain from a person, transplanting it into the body of an android. This, according to the scientist, will contribute to the colonization of space.
Artificial Intelligence
How can we even talk about the colonization of other galaxies, if we still cannot master neighboring planets? Scientists are asking this question: yes, they question the intellectual abilities of a person. But if the task is beyond the power of humans, perhaps artificial intelligence can cope with it.
There are two main conditions under which artificial intelligence can really help humans in space exploration. First, artificial intelligence must be smarter than us. Smarter enough to uncover the secrets of intergalactic travel, the secrets of wormholes and other mysteries of the universe. At the same time, of course, he should not kill a person (until he helps to colonize space).
Secondly, we could develop not just a computer, but intelligent beings that would pave our way through the stars. Program the artificial intelligence to seek habitable planets and then build an intergalactic autobahn for humans. And then we would just have to load the spaceship with everything we need.
Genetically engineered embryos
Space travel for humans is fraught with dire consequences for health. The road to the nearest Mars, which takes only 18 to 30 months, is a high risk of cancer, tissue degradation, loss of bone density, and brain damage. It is believed that the colonization of a new planet is possible only by genetically modified people.
If the embryos are modified and sent to another planet, they can be grown there or even printed using a biological 3D printer. This can be helped by artificial intelligence, which has already "mastered" the new territory. Transporting embryos is much easier than figuring out how to send people on a journey of hundreds of years.
Genetically modified people
The cornerstone of intergalactic travel is the issue of transporting people. NASA is developing a technology for deep hibernation, that is, putting a person into a state of hibernation.
However, hibernation is not anabiosis and does not save from aging, although it slows down the process. Yes, a person can sleep his whole life in a spaceship, but this will not help much to colonize space. Therefore, the decision is for genetics - to make sure that earthlings do not age. Well, or they were aging so slowly that the lifespan was a thousand years.
If we extend our life with the help of genetics, then there will be no need to sleep during the space flight: it will be possible to work during the trip. When (and if) this becomes real, it would be good for genetics to rid a person of loneliness and boredom. This will come in handy for the pilot of a spaceship, who has to control the ship alone for hundreds of years without losing his mind.
Evolution
There is a theory according to which a person can evolve so that in the end he will be able to move in outer space. For example, the first generation of people on Mars will begin to experience tangible changes in their bodies, and their children will appear on the Martian light with these changes. As a result, in just a few generations, humans on Mars will become one of the subspecies of humans.
The argument in favor of this theory is the study of the settlement of people on Earth. Each time entering new territories, a person acquired some additional physical qualities, which made humanity more diverse. When moving to another planet, we will have to face completely alien phenomena - and the changes will be much stronger than when changing the earth's continent. Evolving in this direction, man will become more and more adapted for intergalactic flights.
Self-replicating probe
In the 1940s, the Hungarian mathematician John von Neumann developed the theory of self-replicating robots. The idea is this: small robots are produced exponentially. Two robots produce four, four robots produce sixteen, and so on. As a result, millions of these robots will form a kind of probe that will reach all four "corners" of the Milky Way.
Physicist Michio Kaku calls this method "mathematically most effective" for studying space. First, robots will find lifeless satellites, then they will create factories there for the production of the same robots, then they will begin to use natural deposits.
Dyson sphere
A hypothetical astro-engineering project - perhaps brings us closer to the prospects of building something like the Death Star. Freeman Dyson suggested that an advanced civilization should use such a structure to make the most of the energy of the central star. A large amount of infrared radiation will be generated during the process. Thus, Dyson suggested starting the search for extraterrestrial civilizations with the discovery of powerful sources of infrared radiation.
The Dyson Sphere is primarily a hypothesis for the search for other intelligent civilizations. And some scientists believe that we ourselves could create a similar sphere (for example, with the help of self-reproducing robots), and, collecting and using the energy of the surrounding stars, begin the colonization of space.
Terraforming
Changing living conditions on the planet. One of the significant problems of settling other planets is their unsuitability for human life. For example, Mars is too dry and too cold for us. Scientists believe these conditions can be changed.
So, it is necessary to remove microorganisms that would consume local natural resources. This will change the soil (it will become possible to grow plants), more oxygen will appear. In addition, microorganisms would pump gas out of the air. Thanks to all this, the thickness of the Mars atmosphere will increase: and then the planet will become warmer, and water can appear on it. Microbiologist Gary King of the University of Louisiana believes Mars will begin terraforming within the next two centuries.
Bacteria
DNA is the most famous data storage system: the most complex information is "recorded" there. The human genome (all our hereditary material) takes up about 750 megabytes. A few years ago, researchers from Harvard "pumped" 700 terabytes of data into one gram of DNA.
DNA is also incredibly strong. It can survive at temperatures up to a thousand degrees, or it can be cryogenically frozen. Finally, DNA is universal.
Scientists suggest that within 20 years we will learn how to store human DNA data in bacteria. Then it will be possible to send bacteria to other planets along with microbes (which will terraform). The main difficulty is to program the bacterium for specific actions on the new planet: after all, it must know what to do when it arrives. Perhaps, as soon as this issue is resolved, on new planets, people will develop from bacteria.