Would you sign up for a one way trip to the unknown?
A trip to the stars? Since the nearest star is many light years in distance, you probably would not make it there, but that is just a destination. Isn't the journey the experience? How much money would a ship, put together in a low orbit cost? I have no idea. That's not the point. Would you sign up for a one way guaranteed trip? You know going, in that you will never step on Terra again. You will never make another post on Facebook, OMFG, could you do it? You would never have to pay taxes again. There are quite a few experiences you will never do again. Once you get past this way of thinking, imagine all the wonderful new sights and sounds you will experience.
Man has never been past the Moon, as far as we know. If you listen to believe what the late CEO of the Skunkworks, Ben Rich said on his deathbed, then we have been out there. It has not been confirmed as far as I know. I will add a little intrigue at this point. There is this little INFRIKINCREDIBLE video that might peak your interest.
So, you have been selected as a finalist for the voyage. I wonder what types of people the crew would encompass?
Lets say for example the ship in orbit has the space for 18 people, once that crew is selected, it is off to the stars.
How old should the crew be? Would you have all scientists and doctors? Would you have any philosophers? I know one set of people that would not be included, Bankers and Lawyers. That should tell you all you know. What the hell would you need a lawyer for interstellar travel? In case someone cut their finger in the kitchen, and needed to file a lawsuit? Doubtful.
Lets say, there a two pilots for redundancy. That leaves 16. You would need a doctor, probably 2. I would think that any doctors would need to be cross trained in another field. Then that leaves 14. How about a navigator, and two engineers. I believe that the key to this whole trip is a way for the humans to grow food, recycle everything they can, and invent new ways along the way. This leaves you with 11. I wonder what skill set the rest of the crew would need. Botany? How about a journalist to or videographer?
You don't know how long the trip will last. There might be a wayward meteor the size of a grape, that could basically destroy the entire ship in a millisecond. Bam, ooops...
Would you want all the crew to be orphans? People with no family? Would you want people who were pacifists to the core? It would be bad time for all if one of the crew "lost it" and murdered others in the crew. The boredom of a lifetime trip will weigh on the soul of everyone on board.
How about half the crew at the time of launch be children? That would extend the initial trip by many years. On board the ship, they would learn the systems, and in the process, they would probably invent many ways to increase efficiency. Just something to think about.
The psychological screening would be paramount in the selection process. The very fact that it is a trip for the rest of your life, and then your next generation could be overwhelming for many. Could you reproduce successfully in space? What would the effects of zero g, or minimal gravity have on the birth process? I am quite sure there are studies that have been done on this by people a shitload smarter than me. There is a series of books by Stephen Baxter that explore this, they are quite fascinating.
What would it be like to raise generations of families in a ship? Maybe, the way things are going down here, that will be our future. The destruction we a doing to the planet, may just bring around the ice age, or a hot planet in the next thousand years. I wish I was smart enough to predict the future, I'm not. I just know that last night I had this frikin dream, and I was on that ship to the stars, and I woke up, very bummed out.
We have seen the movies like "Alien" and "Prometheus" where the crew are in hibernation sleep, and are woken up when the ship's electronic scanners detect a radio signal or an "M" class planet. Is this the way to go? The possibilities are wonderful to think about.
If there were a sign up sheet, would you do it?
I would. In a heartbeat. I would miss my kids, yes I would, but that would not stop me from travelling to the unknown. I am not a candidate, I know that. I would do it.
Imagine being millions or billions of miles away from anything and everything you know. You are sitting on the deck, looking back in timewatching millions of miles ahead, and the wonder and excitement that awaits.
I have a sneaking suspicion that somewhere in the trip through the solar system, you would meet someone. That alone, that very singular reason is why I would do the trip. I believe in my heart that we have been visited at some point in the past. Can I prove this beyond a reasonable doubt? Nope.
Anyway, that is my little post form today. Keepin it light.
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