Space Colonization

Should we colonize space?

Space colonies could become the industrial heartlands of the future. The colonists would mine the other worlds of our solar system and build spacecraft and beamed power satellites that will supplement or even replace power plants on the Earth. They would also take adavantage of the plentiful raw materials, unlimited solar power, vaccuum, and microgravity in other ways, to create products that we cannot while inside the cocoon of Earth's atmosphere and gravity. In addition to potentially replacing our current Earth-polluting industries, these colonies may also help our environment in other ways. Since the colonists would create miniature biospheres to live in, they will refine our knowledge of the Earth's biosphere.

I would say GREAT! However, if we come on a populated world,yes aliens, then we should back off and leave instead of force the people out.

I think i killed my own topic before it even started....

I say yes until I realize we haven't even colonized the ocean yet. We know less about the sea than we do about our solar system.

thats true.. but I would say there are more materials to be had in space.

Is there something wrong with new nations?
Would calling them settlements instead of colonies change the argument?

Being in space comes with a vastly different set of considerations for basic survival. Law is more important, with the delicacy of the entire ship/colony/settlement/floaty thing.

Humanity needs room for comfort, and is on the doorstep of needing it for survival.
Taking steps now gives us time to work things out, it also gives people something else to die over.

Colonies would be policed the same way as states. Look at the United States - it's huge, with a lot of different states, but none of them are going to secede and become their own nation.

If we had colonies in space, we'd definitely have an easy way to go from the earth to space. Otherwise, there'd be no way to move the large populations necessary to run an entire colony. So, if the citizens of a colony started acting up, the mother country of the colony would go and sort things out. Just like the US would do if Hawaii went crazy and wanted to secede.

I'm all for colonization. I'd love to live in space. It won't happen any time soon though. I still hold out a little bit of hope that it'll happen in my lifetime, or at least get started in my lifetime, but I don't know for sure. My desires aside, the human race will need to venture out into space eventually. Far, far in the future, the sun will go out, and if humans are still around by then, we'll need some way to get out of this solar system. Not quite that far in the future, but still plenty far, mankind could be wiped out by all kinds of things, from man-made disasters to rampant and uncontrollable disease. Entropy cannot be stopped, and if mankind wants to live as long as possible, we must eventually take to the stars.

Or like it would be crazy if colonies in America seceded from the empire of Britain? or the South from the Union? or Zeon from the federation?

Ask the British when the US declared independence.

There's nothing inherently wrong with colonization (well, just don't ask the natives). If you're going to say "well, the colonists might secede, so we shouldn't do it," mankind would still be lurking in a corner of africa.

Whenever I think of space colonization I think of Gundam. SO if it leads to Gundams then I'm all for it. Seriously though it seems like the next logical move. I wouldn't want to live underwater, I played Bioshock. :x

I am gonna say yes

-for a yes
-just like a new world created

so, we should start colonizing space fast. (we might find something better)

Before we all go to space, one must read the classic sci-fi book called Peace and War by Joe Haldeman. Once you have read that, then we can discuss a thousand reasons not to colonize space.

I think aliens would be the last thing we'd need to worry about.



It would greatly help if you could simply list some of the reasons described in the book. It's unlikely that everyone in this thread is going to be able to locate a book and read it before this thread loses steam.

I think we should probably fix the problems humanity has before moving into space. We'll need to find alternative fuel/power source like nuclear fusion before we could support ourselves.

Until we have solved the environmental issue here on earth, found new alternate fuel-sources and ways to actually use the raw solar-power found outside the atmosphere there is no way we can start colonizing space.

As for the discussion of wherever colonies or independent nations are going; sure, colonies would be the better choice here, but then who would the colonies belong to? If the entire world don't come to an agreement on this, there will probably be a interplanetary war between colonists, and in space-colonization, there is no room for a war. So practically this means that the entire earth must come under one banner before we start spreading our borders off it.

I would love for mankind to start living in space, but I have to say no. It's to risky... Humanity has to many faults for this.

Well the first move is to get a base on the moon so that we can magnetically launch ships from there with much more ease than here on Earth. From there its all about finding suitable habitats and such but we as a species are failures when it comes to workin together for a common goal cause country A is biiter to country B.
Step1: Kill all religion in humanity
Step2: Eliminate country borders and unify one single government
Step3: Get a few bases on the moon
Step4: Master magnetic launching
Step5: All you space are belong to us

Seeing as how step 1 and 2 are unlikely to happen, we're stuck here.

Gundam reference is always right