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by mr_mitm 810 days ago
I agree. The only way to colonize other solar systems is using some sort of cryogenic technology or generation ships. And even then, no one alive will ever witness the ship arriving at the destination. Which, to me, raises the question why you should even do this. There is no benefit. Just for the solace of knowing that there is a chance your species might survive the demise of your civilization? That's not much considering the immense cost. Civilizations that do this must have some strong biological urge or have founded a suitable religion that compels them to colonize other solar systems.

That's not even considering secondary colonies. The time it takes for the passengers of a generation ship to start a new civilization and gather the resources to launch another generation ship is mind boggling. They have to ensure not to lose any knowledge or the will to colonize more solar systems. By the time they've done this a few times, it's probably not even the same species anymore.
2 comments
gcanyon 810 days ago
The "time it takes for the passengers of a generation ship to start a new civilization and gather the resources to launch another generation ship" is minuscule compared to the time to make the journey in the first place. Here's a Kurzgesagt video that essentially proposes using our solar system itself as our "generation ship" and getting from one star to the next would take on the order of a hundred thousand years, while the time to set up to travel that way seems reasonable to create in tens of thousands, or even thousands, of years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3y8AIEX_dU

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mr_mitm 810 days ago
Good point. So unless they freeze themselves, whoever arrives might not even be the same species as the ones who left.
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shiroiushi 808 days ago
>Which, to me, raises the question why you should even do this. There is no benefit. Just for the solace of knowing that there is a chance your species might survive the demise of your civilization? That's not much considering the immense cost.

For the people on the generation ship, it can be a good deal. If the ship is large enough and comfortable enough, it can be a better lifestyle than many people live today.

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palata 808 days ago
> If the ship is large enough and comfortable enough, it can be a better lifestyle than many people live today.

Surely if it is comfortable enough, nobody is even remotely considering sending poor people there, right?

Then again: what about improving life on Earth instead? Because if you look out there, it's great (at least in those places that humans have not completely destroyed).

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shiroiushi 807 days ago
>Then again: what about improving life on Earth instead?

Because it's politically impossible.

Your question is like going to a prison full of psychopathic murderers (not just regular murderers, but the ones who really like murdering) and asking them why they can't just be normal, good citizens.

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