Will space travel eventually bring on new emperors

Originally posted by Guess 1. There is no open territory. Virtually every part of the earth is controlled by a recognized state

Except Antarctica which is the fifth largest continent.

It is hard to believe space emperators would come soon. The fact is physics forbides travels faster than light. Therefore, at least there is a major switch of paradigms, Galactic Empires will never be possible.

Presume that was only a jokey comment ?

There already is one; Lord Xenu.

Pinguin, I think you're assuming human-kind will last that long. We've only had the atomic bomb for 63 years, and it's a safe bet that we'll waste ourselves and the planet in the next few hundred...

It also takes a large amount of resources and the earth barely has enough for it's own needs.

Aha, but if it becomes profitable for companies to go into space for natural resources. He-3 for theoretical "fusion reactors", Natural Gas stored in asteroids, Gold (for electronics applications) and a plethora of other rare metals. I mean even if it costs 20 billion dollars to build and service a space mine but it'll bring back 21 billion dollars it's worth the venture to do so right?

Also the construction of a space elevator could eliminate 90 % of the costs of launching a rocket, and the technology to create such a structure is getting off the ground.

We've only had the atomic bomb for 63 years, and it's a safe bet that we'll waste ourselves and the planet in the next few hundred...

Your forgetting the fact that since we dropped the bomb on Japan no one has used an atomic bomb in aggression. Also the atomic bomb has been championing peace for it's entire existence. For instance look at the death toll from atomic bombs compared to say...the machine gun? dynamite? sharpened pointy sticks?.... I seriously doubt that someone comes out and ruins that, I mean not even Kim Jong Il is idiotic enough to use his nukes contrary to popular opinion and if someone that crazy isn't using them who else would?

Even then a few detonations would not destroy mankind, MAD is just not feasible now or within the next hundred years I think.

Originally posted by Brian J Checco Pinguin, I think you're assuming human-kind will last that long. We've only had the atomic bomb for 63 years, and it's a safe bet that we'll waste ourselves and the planet in the next few hundred...

I agree with Paul on this one that humanity will not make it to space but then again it could be a possibility depending on how our social conditioning evolves in the next century here on earth. Basically what drove the US to the moon was competition with the Soviet Union but today Nation competition is not so black an white as before. The world is even smaller and nations don't have the ideological convictions they used to have in order to at least justify why they were competing with each other.

I think something extraordinary would have to occur to send us full speed for the stars and forget our problems here. Say the Sun would abnormally start to expand threatening our survival here giving us some time but not too much to build rockets, plan which planet to colonize etc. Finally half the people on earth would believe it impossible and commit suicide, some others being religious would say "Its Gods will" and would stay, while the other half with the stronger will to survive would come up with the technology to make it out.
Of course then the question arises whether there would be enough rockets to accommodate everyone which i doubt. Who would decide who stays and who goes? Would the believers condemn the ones leaving as blasphemers and start attacking them? Details ... details....

Originally posted by Omar al Hashim ... 2) A space elevator is crazy idea. Imagine the aerodynamics!

Sure space travel will happen. What will happen in 50-100 years when resources will become scarce (and hence expensive), technology will advance and will become much cheaper, and it will be economically viable to mine metals from other planets? Hopefully the upcoming environmental crisis will not be serious enough to completely destabilize all of civilization until then, though there is some cause to fear this.

We can debate all we want on which technology will actually make it happen, but who would have predicted in 1908 that in 2008 we would have already gone to the moon, that an ordinary person would be able to travel around the world in less than 24 hours (3 hour tour for some astronauts), or that we would have a gigantic globe-spanning network of thinking machines based on circuits whose smallest components are only a few atoms thick? Or that we are able to make copies of complex lifeforms, and create new species to suit our needs?

I think that the methods and reasons for space travel will be dependent upon economic and scientific paradigm shifts. The current paradigm is that space travel is expensive and based on cutting-edge technology, hence only rich and advanced nations attempt it, and it seldom yields economic benefits (aside from satellites). However, inventions could very well be made in the near future which change the paradigm, to one where space travel is relatively cheap, to the point where any resonably developed nation can build its own spaceships, in order to attain economic benefits.