>>3
Ah, the bright future of humanity. Do you see peak oil as the catalyst for this?
I believe that nuclear power will catalyze a new drive for near space exploration as we will quickly begin to use up cheap sources of uranium. Asteroid mining will drive a demand for space elevator technology. Colonization of Mars will follow as overpopulation and dwindling resources drive people away from Earth. And then it's the bright future of the 50s.