Would it be possible for humans to survive on another planet and how could we achieve that to benefit humanity?
Examples of Exoplanets:
My Information:
In short, there is currently loads of research being found by numerous scientists in order to make this happen. However, there is a much bigger picture. With every decision or plan there are always the benefits and certain risk factors. Exploring this question has made me think so much deeper to appreciate our ideal planet that we currently inhabit.
Why is Earth so ideal? For starters, look around! We live on such a beautiful planet that goes very underappreciated a lot of the time. We have a magnetic field shielding us from space radiation, an atmosphere that allows us to breathe, and plenty of water. We have been given all the necessary resources for survival on this perfect planet.
Why would we ever need to leave Earth? Well there are numerous events and situations that may happen to jeopardize our existence on this planet. These situations may include our sun eventually dying and exploding, an asteroid similar to what led dinosaurs to extinction may hit, or even our own pollution may get the best of us. Anyway, there are many different types of situations and circumstances, but I think we can all agree that a back up plan is always a good idea especially if we want to continue the human race.
Could another planet support this living species of ours? Many scientists are dedicating their research towards this topic. So far, a popular topic is wanting to move to Mars. This makes sense because it is our neighboring planet and research has shown that with lots of work and evolved technology we could possibly organize a human colony on that planet. However, since resources differ there are some vitamins and minerals that may need to be shipped from Earth. For planet conditions, exoplanets are probably our best bet. An exoplanet is a planet outside our solar system that orbits a star other than our sun. Although they are insanely far, there have been some found that relatively share similar traits and conditions that humans may adapt to. The first exoplanet was only discovered in 1995 so think about the endless planets that we could find that are practically identical to ours.
What are challenges we face with completing this task? With high risks, come high rewards so it is evident with such a huge idea there will be down sides. First of all, our current technology is simply just no where near the level we need it at to achieve such great lengths of astronomic discovery. Also, if we were to go to Mars, why would we settle to live in poorer conditions? In addition, it would be 100 times more expensive to transport every necessary material over there to support human life. That planet is just our closest, if looking at those almost ideal exoplanets, we can keep dreaming because they are so far away. With our current technology, there is absolutely no way we could make a tens of thousands year trip in our lifetimes.
In conclusion, travelling to another planet is not out of the question. However, no matter what we will not be able to find a planet better suited than Earth for us, so moving should definitely be a final option. There is full faith in humanity to figure out how to travel through such large distances in space, but it is certain that it will not be for many years. With the right technology, moving to another planet will benefit humanity by giving us an alternate plan to save the human race from whatever threatening obstacles may face our planet. Also, by having the intelligence to achieve something so complex leaves humanities doors wide open for great discoveries beyond our imaginations and I hope the future generations will maintain a constantly positive way of life.
Video About Exoplanets:
Bibliography:
Beall, Abigail. “Could We Survive without Our Planet?” Astronomy.com, 18 Sept. 2017, https://astronomy.com/news/2017/09/could-we-survive-without-our-planet#:~:text=You%20need%20water%2C%20shelter%2C%20a,protection%20against%20harmful%20space%20radiation.
“Could We Live on Another Planet?” Oxplore, https://oxplore.org/question-detail/could-we-live-on-another-planet#1671.
“Earth-like Planets (and Where to Find Them).” Earth-like Planets (and Where to Find Them) | University of Oxford Podcasts - Audio and Video Lectures, https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/earth-planets-and-where-find-them.
“Exoplanets & Planetary Astronomy.” Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, https://www.gps.caltech.edu/gps-research/research-programs/planetary-research-option/research-areas/exoplanets-planetary-astronomy.
Krueger, Jason. “Space Exploration: Where Else Can Humans Live? - Stratostar STEM Education Blog.” StratoStar, 14 Feb. 2017, https://stratostar.com/space-exploration-planet-where-humans-can-live/.
Saplakoglu, Yasemin. “Humans Will Never Live on an Exoplanet, Nobel Laureate Says. Here's Why.” LiveScience, Purch, 14 Oct. 2019, https://www.livescience.com/will-we-ever-live-exoplanet.html.
