-- Posted by Sapientia at 3:27 am on Feb. 1, 2007 What will be the most significant event in the 21st century in terms of space technology and exploration? Some predictions please... -- Posted by Toyah at 3:27 am on Feb. 1, 2007 looking for ET -- Posted by x FENRIS x at 3:30 am on Feb. 1, 2007 I'd say that the most realistic of those options would be an international space station and/or a mars mission. Unfortunately, people seem to have lost interest in space exploration. In the short term, what would it really do apart from having been done. These things are expensive. -- Posted by MachinegunHead at 3:30 am on Feb. 1, 2007 Definitely putting someone on Mars. I mean, the moon was alright, but going all the way to Mars makes getting to the moon seem like a small, masturbating child in comparison. -- Posted by Born2die at 3:50 am on Feb. 1, 2007 Can you even terraform the moon? I thought you needed to have a suitable atmosphere etc...Mars could be terraformed but i don't think the moon can (probably wrong but meh...) and yeah i think putting someone on mars will be the biggest thing. -- Posted by Link01 at 4:57 am on Feb. 1, 2007 E.T life -- Posted by x FENRIS x at 12:48 pm on Feb. 1, 2007 Quote: from Born2die at 10:50 pm on Feb. 1, 2007 Can you even terraform the moon? I thought you needed to have a suitable atmosphere etc...Mars could be terraformed but i don't think the moon can (probably wrong but meh...) and yeah i think putting someone on mars will be the biggest thing. It's a long process involving placing water, and trees in an amount sufficient enough to create a breathable atmosphere. It also would take lots of time. -- Posted by AtomicCactus at 4:34 pm on Feb. 1, 2007 I think cheaper alternatives to getting into space will be big.  Designing cheaper means of launching things (sattelites, space station parts, garbage, etc) out into space will be big.  As well, putting people into space and revamping the current space shuttle will be a big aim.  Trying to cut the costs down and perhaps start some sort of tourism industry, things like that.  Something that humanity would "really benefit" from... There's been a trend in technology that focuses less on the grandiose, and rather focuses on efficiency, etc.  Of course, that can all change within the next 93 years or so, but with ever-more dwindling resources, who knows? -- Posted by espresso8097 at 9:05 pm on Feb. 1, 2007 Terraforming The moon or Mars, Earth is basically screwed over. -- Posted by crushedaffairs at 11:05 pm on Feb. 2, 2007 How would they change the moon and Mars to have similar characteristics as Earth? Is that possible? -- Posted by MachinegunHead at 12:10 am on Feb. 3, 2007 Quote: from crushedaffairs at 11:05 pm on Feb. 2, 2007 How would they change the moon and Mars to have similar characteristics as Earth? Is that possible? Get an atmosphere formed by disturbing the soil with machinery, which also put out gas as a by-product, including CO2. Then slowly transport water there, and finally try and grow some flora, and start transporting micro-organisms until the atmosphere is capable of supporting life. Something like that. -- Posted by KathyN at 1:55 am on Feb. 3, 2007 Searching for (Finding) extraterrestrial life. Or the space elevator (which I think would be in the 22nd century if at all...). -- Posted by DoomMaker at 12:24 pm on Feb. 3, 2007 The space elevator would be built closer to 2020, if at all. Anyhow, I believe that advances in physics might be the biggest leap, such as a supposed idea of 'electrogravity'. -- Posted by norock at 2:01 pm on Feb. 3, 2007 if you mean "antigravity" by use of electricity, its not supposed.. i've built and tested devices that when charged can hover, unteathered, several feet off the ground. however in order to create enough lift with an onboard powersource, the lifter has to be VERY big.. they also emmit MASSIVE amounts of static waves, so the next metal thing you touch will shock you. its cool stuff though, all theories of WHY it works are merely speculation as of this point in time. -- Posted by DoomMaker at 5:14 pm on Feb. 3, 2007 Note, I was saying this simply because it has not been fully tested in mainstream science, largely because it is not fully accepted and generally affiliated with the idea of 'bullshit UFO's' amongst mainstream scientists. Not that it couldn't be a very plausible source of lift for ET craft, and many suspect that it actually is due to some frequency tests, but I believe in it's possibility quite a bit, mind you. Actually, electrogravity and anti-gravity are different things. Whilst anti-gravity requires a huge power source and is independent of the variable of mass, electrogravity relies on the mass of the spacecraft as it's power source. The more massive, the more powerful the upward thrust, and as the craft ascends, the effect intensifies. http://redshift.vif.com/JournalFiles/Pre2001/V00NO18PDF/NR18JAA.PDF http://www.electrogravity.com/ Those are pretty good. I'm tired now, so if you have any comments on the mathematics of this, message me, since I am not quite as well learned in equations as in other things. I did not bother to try to decipher all the math(yet), but if you notice something definately wrong with it all, then give me a heads up. -- Posted by flatplat at 9:42 pm on Feb. 3, 2007 A space elevator or more work on the ISS.   More work on the ISS is very important in developing ways for large(ish) amounts people to survive in space for extended periods of time.   To make our way to Mars, it's estimated that its going to take about a year each way with current technology. Even if we do manage to greatly improve matters, I'll be betting it'll be a very long trip, on return. We can't have potential Mars travellers in the same conditions as the Apollo 11 crew. I think the space elevator will also be important, as it will provide a much cheaper way of getting thing to and from the Earth. Setting up a space elevator system would probably have to come before terraforming the Moon, as this will involve transporting large amouts into space often. -- Posted by DoomMaker at 11:03 pm on Feb. 3, 2007 That's not going to be the highlight of this century, though. Maybe the 2000-2035 era, I suppose. -- Posted by Thriftweed at 11:08 am on Feb. 15, 2007 i like to think that if we ever make contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial species it will change a lot of things, but the last book i read was rama so im not entirely optimistic.