Chaos From Outer Space
99942 Apophis is the latest asteroid that might hit Earth. We’re in a fragile position in the universe. In outer space, there are projectiles left and right. We’ve made it 66 million years since the last asteroid killed the dinosaurs. But an asteroid could cause another mass extinction if it is big enough. Here on Earth, people are trashing the environment, so we need to explore other options. We might be masters of this domain, but we must find a new one. Time to stop worrying about sustaining the Earth and start worrying about sustaining ourselves.
The Nuclear Approach
We’ve got more nuclear arms than we know what to do with. Deploying them to outer space to destroy oncoming asteroids would kill two birds with one stone. Earth is dying, but we need to escape before we help it along. The US has a nuclear artillery that could wreck the Earth, so why not wreck meteors instead. At some point, weapons of mass destruction are a liability. We’re too unpredictable. Eventually someone is going to push the nuclear button. People fear losing silly games more than they fear death.
A Call to Action
To those of us looking to a greater purpose: one day, there will be nowhere to look but up. There is a lot of work to be done but we can live in space. We’ll have to make peace with our shipmates. The first many years in space will be hard. We must have the coordination of a military but without the bloodthirst. We can find our place in the universe and find our purpose. It will be a long journey and a tall order. But it will unlock our purpose.
It is time for a comprehensive space plan, and for us to think seriously about our escape from the Sun. Whether this happens in a hundred years, or a million, we’ve got to hit the ground running. Progress is possible when we’re moving in the same direction. The new direction will take us beyond the earthly realm, and into a new era of enlightenment.
