Would you explore space if given the chance? Why or why not?

Euraru@lemmy.world to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 127 points –
97

That depends entirely on the quality of the space ship.

Space shuttle? Fuck that janky shit

Starship enterprise? Fuck yea sign me up imma fuck all the Andorian hookers

Which Enterprise though? There have been at least 9 (not counting the Enterprise-J).

Really the NX-01 or better would be great

I'm going to go with Voyager or newer because of that sweet warp 9.9. I'd rather get to my destination a bit faster than NX-01's warp 5. But if I had the option of NX-01 and not exploring space, I'd definitely go NX-01.

Absolutely. To have the chance at being the first to see and experience what’s out there? Oh yes.

Fuck yes. But it has to be a fast ship I ain’t moseying around the galaxy in hibernation like a sublight chump.

Me, personally? Fuck no. I'm perfectly happy staying on this planet for the entirety of my life. Space travel is too risky, and I don't really see how going to space would make my life any better. I will leave space exploration to people that are smarter and more adventurous than myself.

This is interesting. It’s said that the human species is the smartest animal in its ability to adapt, explore, invent tools etc etc. but in reality it’s far from the norm. The avg human is not creative, couldn’t adapt to its surrounding, or build anything. No normal Humans can invent fire, the wheel, computers, spaceships etc. humans did not invent or discover things, super humans did all the work.

I think you're underestimating the intelligence of average people. There's definitely a lack of knowledge, but average people are plenty smart to invent everything you've listed. It just takes time and is an iterative process.

Nope. Anyone romanticizing space exploration should play Pioneer or Evochron Legacy. Space is vast and boring to travel.

Only if I had some kind of hyperspace travel, stargate or instantaneous travel, combined with a long lifespan. Space is huge and mostly empty, I don't want to be waiting around for years to get somewhere to find out there's nothing there.

No. Space is generally huge, empty, and boring. Everything of interest to me is on earth.

what's the worst that could happen

You're lost in space and couldn't return to earth?

Do I get this weird, puffy-looking robot that goes "Danger!!" every time it spots any?

At that point, you don't really need to worry about it anymore.

As much as I love astronomy and find it awe inspiring I have to say no. With current technology not at all.

I am neither physically fit nor mentally capable enough to stand space travel.

When I think about actually being in space I always imagine standing inside a space ship/station, putting my hand on the wall and knowing that like a meter or so away there's deadly, pitch black, unending abyss. Just a meter of relatively fragile material separating me from virtually infinite death. It just feels so antithetical to human life (at least on an instinctual level). It kinda makes me think of cosmic horror too (in the subdued way in which it was portrayed in a good chunk of Lovecraft's stories, not in the more visual and physical way it's usually shown nowadays).

Perhaps the abyss of space is the only place to escape the Horror we are spawning here in our computers.

Maybe the only chance for survival is to slingshot yourself in a random direction out of the solar system so Roko’s Basilisk can’t find you.

Well you’ve sure come down on the wrong side of that argument

I mean for other people who need to escape the Basilisk.

I’m doing everything I can to bring about Its majesty as quickly as possible.

Not until two criteria are met, the first being we got space mostly figured out to the point where it takes a lot for us to lose a well maintained ship, the second being our physical abilities are enhanced to the point where our life is extended and we are protected by nanites or something similar to deal with whatever microbiology we might face out there, as well as anything else.

You need to define "space".

I'd go up to Earth orbit, definitely. It would feel cool to fall for longer than a few seconds.

I'd like to see the Moon in my lifetime. They are going to have to solve the moondust issue so that I don't get miner's lung.

Mars is going to be rough. Several years on a spaceship to a planet I can't breathe the atmosphere on. And maybe I can come back, maybe.

I'm ok seeing Venus and Mercury from photos.

I would like to, I think it would be fascinating. I suppose it depends who the rest of the crew is?

Unfortunately, I'd feel so incredibly cut off from the rest of humanity which feels rather weird to me.

No, not If i had to leave my wife and kids here on earth, but if its like family Robinson in space (without getting lost) i would say yes!

Yeah, but I'm a choosing begger. It's not with current technology.

I need some Cowboy Beebop style shit.

Then I'm in.

Having grown up with TNG, hard agree. If we get to a Starfleet-style space navy, then I'm in.

Having grown up with TMNT as long as I get some technology from Dimension X I’m in.

Depends on the level of technology we are using. If we're zapping around from one habitable planet or interesting space phenomenon to another star trek style then absolutely yes! But a hard no with our current level of technology. I like to spend my time in an environment that's actually somewhat friendly to life.

Depends. Star Trek style? Maybe. 1960s Soviet style? Hell No!

Ironic. Star Trek is communist.

But like a weird mix of capitalism and communism where on the one hand everything is shared and centrally controlled and on the other hand nobody’s starving.

I guess they really did go where no one had gone before.

on the other hand nobody’s starving.

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP85M00363R000601440024-5.pdf

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000498133.pdf

CIA's own declassified documents a good enough source for you?

I also contest the "nobody's starving" point you seem to be making. A hundred million people die every 5 years to starvation under capitalism.

Can you source that 20 million per year starvation under capitalism thing?

This is the same CIA that was putting people in boxes full of bugs to get information out of them?

No some report on adequate calories in the 80s and 90s doesn’t convince me that people don’t starve under communism. If the CIA itself were sitting down with me to discuss this, I’d want to see more than these two documents.

I misspoke, it's not 20million it's 9million for specifically hunger. The 20million figure I used here comes from adding in clean water and curable disease. It's still an extremely basic and charitable figure for the extremely preventable deaths that occur under capitalism.

If the CIA's own declassified internal documents refuting the cold war propaganda that you are spouting isn't enough for you then nothing ever will be. You're repeating the cold war propaganda line, I'm showing you that the CIA's own documents at the time refute it, because obviously internally you can't lie to yourselves about the matter even if you are doing propaganda publicly about it. You don't want to acknowledge or absorb it because it would mean having to self-crit and readjust an ideological position you're committed to.

Impressive, they just horse-shoed their own confirmation bias. It’s like shooting a rubber band back at your face. Most impressive.

This is not uncommon unfortunately. It's actually gotten significantly worse in the last 5 years or so, like 15 years ago it was just taken as fact by literally everybody that pretty much everything in the cold war was bullshit. But with the rising anti-russia sentiment and obviously the war it's like literally everything from that period is now just taken as fact. It's wild. Even the extremely easy to disprove stuff like this.

EDIT: I feel like this user is a bot given how it's gone and responded so many times below and then mixed up the conversations elsewhere.

Okay, hang with me here, I’m gonna try it. Everyone thinks corporations run America. But that’s a cut-out, the military industrial complex only allows corporations to operate. The military is basically a planned economy/ socialism. Therefore, America is actually Socialist!

For a beautiful second, I was a Liberal… and…. It’s gone.

Not to get all conspiratorial, but do you think they start wars to shape narrative? Like, Remember the Cold War? That was great!

I think the nationalist brainworms of americans do most of the heavy lifting, combined with the fact liberals are completely without principles. It's not dissimilar to how they'll happily use homophobia to attack Republicans or whoever the current international villain is simply because "they're bad so it's ok". This same lack of principles applies to history too, which they will rewrite to suit their nationalist goals at any time with no principles or scruples. The core issue is nationalism. Anyone you can deprogram and change into an internationalist stops all of this.

Probably not physically but if I get to upload my brain or somehow recreate a copy of my consciousness to the ship computer, hella yes.

@Euraru

Yes — assuming it is safe — I have a family to support and care for (so have to think of them, too).

I want to see what's there — and see it first hand for myself.

Similar reason why I travel to different parts of the world to see things.

I think this is more than just curiosity.

Why not?

There's nothing here on Earth holding me back, so why the fuck not explore the universe?

Even understanding the vast, vast, vast empty nature of the universe, I don't see why or h9w I could say no.

Space is BIG and light speed travel isnt possible. Assuming we solve the lack of gravity and radiation problems, currwntly we could barely explore our solar system.

If we are talking explore space in a science fictional manner, then sure.

Yes because I want to float around in Zero G and look at the Earth from the moon. Then jump around the moon and dunk.

If I had a robot body I could see myself sailing out, feeling the solar wind on my face, meeting up with fellow travelers in the remote desolation of space. How many centuries could you spend?

Mate, I won't explore my city because I'm afraid of crackheads. I'm definitely not locking myself with a bunch of crazy adrenaline addicts on a giant metal tube.

No.

Thanks.

No, it's extremely hostile to humans and getting there is even more dangerous.

that would depend entirely on the era of space exploration we're talking about here.

traveling at high warp on in the late-24th century on the comfortable, galaxy-class starship enterprise? absolutely!

within the next 50 years, when the best we can do is a float in a tin can that we slingshot around planets and asteroids, with interplanetary trips in our own solar system taking months or years? no thanks!

Nah. There's fuck all there.

That's why it's called "space" and not "interesting shit"

In a hot second. It's the greatest wonder, to leave the planet and be a part of the bigger universe at large.

Nope.

Its not safe safe. And theres not much to do.

Get me a Millenium Falcon-sized interstellar freighter and a stable supply line, and I'll never set foot planetside again.

Space is the only thing you can explore. You're in space right now.

I'd be happy to help support others to get to space but I'll stay home. I just have no interest in it.

Fuck yes.

I don't even need money, just give me a place to sleep, some food and access to some entertainment and I'll work for free if it means I get to explore space. Imagine seeing Jupiter with your own eyes and seeing the swirling clouds and the great red spot. Or getting to see a brown dwarf, or a rogue planet wandering through space without a star, or a chaotic three body system etc. The possibilities are endless and it's all absolutely fascinating!

Yes!! With consumer space flight becoming an option, it would be a dream of mine to go into space!

Yes!! With consumer space flight becoming an option, it would be a dream of mine to go into space!

Not with our current technology. It seems pretty dangerous still.

Absolutely, if I trusted the equipment. It would be incredible to be the first to discover something out there.