>>27
All we need is a good motor. I admit that every characterization of our
species in
>>27 is the truth. But with a cheap, dependable, and fast
interstellar slower-than-light drive, you'll see freaks like Magellan and
Drake and Frobisher taking off for parts unknown. I wouldn't mind getting an
eyefull of Mars and Jupiter myself. Saturn is a little too spooky for me,
especially that scary asshole/hurricane on its south pole
hxxp://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061113.html*
It's going to be a significant leap of technology, but I think it's possible
in the next hundred years or so. I'm interested in things like antimatter
rocket/ramjet designs, although Mr. Fusion needs to be developed for that.
Antimatter rocketry alone would provide ample lifting power to get started on
interplanetary civilization in our own system.
hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter_catalyzed_nuclear_pulse_propulsion**
hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter
Similar leaps of technology/cheapness/dependability are the Douglas DC-3, and
the evolution of European deep-sea sailing ships in the 15th and 16th
centuries.
hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3
hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrack
Another factor is bigger space telescopes. Soon enough, these will be able
to see extrasolar planets with relatively high resolution. No matter how
dodgy the environment, people will be strongly attracted to blue planets in
other solar systems.
hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope
It would be nice to deal with our species' ignorance and tendency toward
evil, but we really don't have time to fix ourselves before we GTFO. Even
smart and promising species usually last only a couple million years. And
those species didn't have a death wish, either.
*No0bs replace xx with tt. No0b.
**Wikipedia said it, so it's got to be true. :Q___