Many people have watched at least one movie or television program that would fall into the category of “Science Fiction” – a program roughly based in Science, but far beyond the technologies available to anybody now. The question arises, how realistic are any of these capabilities – do they, or could they, really exist?
The quick answer is yes, even though many of the underlying
technologies are unknown, at this time, on Terra. Perhaps a better question would be this: Is the Science on Terra adequate to support the future development of the technologies envisioned in Terran Science Fiction?
Modern science on Terra does have an understanding of many of the basic technologies that are used in current Science Fiction, at a high level. Enabling those technologies, however, is much more difficult; it is complicated by an inadequate understanding of materials science, inadequate power (or fuel) sources, an inability to write (or adequately debug) complex software code, and a lack of appropriate sensor technology for space travel, to name a few items. In time, some of these may be developed adequately, but proper applications may also require a new mindset regarding the application and use of any supporting technologies. Note that there are far more developed and complex societies that do not have any of these abilities, despite having a much better understanding of the science behind them (throughout our galaxy and Universe).
So what kinds of phenomenon exist that may be an impediment to our application to what we see in science fiction? Perhaps the best way to answer this question is with a list:
1. An ability to sense small hazards to space craft, and deflect them to render travel “safe”; these could be as simple as space debris (which includes non-natural (or “man” made), natural (like small asteroids), and spacial or temporal anomalies.
2. An ability to generate enough thrust to escape gravitational fields (like those around Jupiter or Helios (e.g., our Sun), should the craft get too close.
3. An ability to deal with space based illnesses and issues (for instance, treating a new virus or bacteria effectively before it has a chance to kill you).
4. An ability to detect and use space based phenomenon, such as wormholes.
5. An ability to navigate to other parts of the Milky Way galaxy, or between galaxies; this would of necessity include mapping all objects in a coordinate system that is rational and determinate.
6. An ability to comprehend phenomenon, in real of very near real time, that may be unknown (or unexplained) to modern physics, chemistry, or engineering.
7. An ability to communicate with species (or phenomenon) that may not know or understand any language spoken on Terra.
8. An ability to adequately protect ones self (or craft) from beings that may be malevolent (or may not understand our intentions).
9. An ability to understand a wide array of space phenomenon, the implications of these phenomenon, and how one may compensate for their presence, that are currently unknown or only theorized (to differentiate from 6 above, this would refer to phenomenon that may be primarily non-physical in nature).
These represent only a very small fraction of the potential areas we see in science fiction for which we have no real solution.
Why? While scientists would tell you that science is about understanding the physical phenomenon, the truth is that Terran society operates on a primarily financially based reality, and there is little interest or financially based incentive to travel to other locations off of Terra. And until the societies (and people) of Terra begin to view science as a more altruistic endeavor, science fiction as reality may never happen.
I can not end this topic with at least some discussion about other advanced societies and their abilities. They do exist, in significant numbers, and yes, they visit Terra on a regular basis, and have done so for millennia. Their motives vary widely, from helping humans to evolve, to the taking of the resources available on this planet, to interspecies breeding. But at some point, as a society, they made a decision to prioritize elements of science so that travel in Space was possible and practical. It may not have been as altruistic as we would have liked, but much of what we consider to be “Science Fiction” is, in truth, Science Fact.
As a side note, this may be my last regular post for a time. It would appear that there exist Souls, both from Terra and from other planetary systems, who have been attacking those Souls that are present here from the Central Sun. I would hope that these writings are not a factor in these attacks, but a realistic examination of attacks would suggest that they may well be. Even the attacks that have originated from other Terrans have been largely based in anger and hostility, and have been centuries in the making in some cases.
There will be additional topics written and posted here, but until those from the Central Sun have the attacks under some form of control, further posts could present the possibility of a threat. If there is a personal question or topic that one would like to ask of us, please feel free to email us at Aileenestedman@gmail.com. We continue to be here to help humanity.