[DrGray]

What about permanent underground cities? Would it be possible to construct underground self-sustaining biospheres?

Do you mean here on Earth?
In H.G. Wells' Time Machine they... Oh wait, that's science fiction again. Damn. Seems we need a real world example of self-sustaining biospheres. What ever happened with that experiment they were doing in the '90's? I don't remember that being a resounding success. And those were above ground.
To be a little more serious, can you imagine the amount of electricity we would need to grow crops underground? Geothermal source, right?

[cipi604]

You have the sun, you don't need geothermal energy, and at the end we'll cover the earth completely in a biosphere like Asimov's Foundation.

[SeaGypsy]

You have the sun, you don't need geothermal energy, and at the end we'll cover the earth completely in a biosphere like Asimov's Foundation.

These ideas carry infinitely more weight than the idiocy prescribed by NASA cronies like Hawking. Just do the maths on energy requirements, communications, degradation of genetic material in radiation and weightlessness. Humans spreading themselves around the cosmos is a pipe dream.

Take any modern city as a starting point. Cover the rooftops with crops, hanging gardens on the sides, fruit trees in the parks, roads and golf courses; electrified public transport and cycleways. Suddenly sustainability looks possible.

The NASA spiel is a collossal distraction from reality and from doing anything real about it. When the reality sets in that even if these anti life jerks got their fantastical cosmonautical ship ready to go 99.9999999% of us would be left behind to wither and die for the 100's of thousands of years it would take to get anywhere close to the potential of Earth.

[hillsidedigger]

This is nowhere, hasn't been anywhere, won't ever be anywhere and there ain't nowhere to go.

[Cid_Yama]

An indication mankind's collective unconscious knew what was happening 40 years ago.

For those who missed it, based on Brian Aldiss' Non-Stop, released as Starship in the US.

Well, loosely based.

The Starlost Promo

Starlost the first episode

One of the greatest Sci-Fi novels of all time. Right behind Earth Abides. No, that's not true, I left out Clifford D. Simak, City. Right behind City. Followed by the Asimov Foundation series.

Actually, my favorite, all time Sci-fi novel is Wailing Asteroid by Murray Leinster. Good luck finding it.

OMG, I found it online.

The Wailing Asteroid

Silent Running is a totally unknown, but totally awesome Sci-Fi movie starring Bruce Dern

Silent Running

Although I can do without the Joan Baez.

[mos6507]

Silent Running is not unknown.

[neocone]

Venus' axis of rotation is tilted 3 degrees vs. its orbit.. so unlike what the article says, there are simply no seasons possible there. And more importantly no polar circles so every part of the planet has sunrises and sunsets.

[PrestonSturges]

An indication mankind's collective unconscious knew what was happening 40 years ago.

For those who missed it, based on Brian Aldiss' Non-Stop, released as Starship in the US.

Well, loosely based.

The Starlost Promo

Starlost the first episode

One of the greatest Sci-Fi novels of all time. Right behind Earth Abides. No, that's not true, I left out Clifford D. Simak, City. Right behind City. Followed by the Asimov Foundation series.

Actually, my favorite, all time Sci-fi novel is Wailing Asteroid by Murray Leinster. Good luck finding it.

OMG, I found it online.

The Wailing Asteroid

Silent Running is a totally unknown, but totally awesome Sci-Fi movie starring Bruce Dern

Silent Running

Although I can do without the Joan Baez.

Silent running unknown? Who could forget Huey, Dewy, and Lewy?

The Earth Abides in mildly interesting, but it has no character development. Of course, you can say that about half the genre.

[Tanada]

Venus' axis of rotation is tilted 3 degrees vs. its orbit.. so unlike what the article says, there are simply no seasons possible there. And more importantly no polar circles so every part of the planet has sunrises and sunsets.

Uhm, no actually. Venus has an axil tilt of 177 degrees, not 3, and hence rotates backwards compared to the other planets in the Solar system. Secondly eccentricities in the orbit would provide for seasons even with a zero axial tilt. Thirdly Venus is tidally locked into a synchronous orbit/rotation so that the day is three halves of an orbit, making the daylight period very very long compared to all the other planets except Mercury, which is in the same synchronous lock for its own orbit.

[POAlex]

I wonder if Mr. Hawking has ever read the Bible?

[Maddog78]

He read a bit but did not seem impressed.
He probably doesn't read much fiction.

"We got through all of Genesis and part of Exodus before I left. One of the main things I was taught from this was not to begin a sentence with And. I pointed out that most sentences in the Bible began with And, but I was told that English had changed since the time of King James. In that case, I argued, why make us read the Bible? But it was in vain. Robert Graves was very keen on the symbolism and mysticism in the Bible at that time."
— Stephen W. Hawking (Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays)

"What I have done is to show that it is possible for the way the universe began to be determined by the laws of science. In that case, it would not be necessary to appeal to God to decide how the universe began. This doesn't prove that there is no God, only that God is not necessary."
— Stephen W. Hawking

[americandream]

Perhaps we will see a New Deal on flatulence harvesting.

Maybe Hawking should direct his intellect at the problem of how we'll generate the energy required to populate a small colony on the Moon or Mars in the midst of energy descent.

[Pretorian]

I wonder if Mr. Hawking has ever read the Bible?

I need to make a confession to you Alex, I am God, your creator and benefactor. I cannot prove it to you in any way, this is just one of those things you have to believe in. So, I'm short on money lately. I will need you to mail me at least 10% of your income right now, and every 7/14 days or whenever you get paid. I won't do jack shit for you, as I won't change all my plans just because some schmuck got himself a $2 bible, but nevertheless I want you to pray to me daily, as much as possible. It'd be nice also if all your friends , relatives and colleagues send me checks as well, so let them know that God is here and expects their gratitude.
Failure to comply will result in tortures that will last countless trillions of trillions of years. They will never end in fact, as in afterlife you won't have any income, so you won't be able to pay me off. But I love you anyway Alex.
Yours sincerely,
God

[SeaGypsy]

I think it's funny that someone so dismissive of 'God' has no problem with withering in misery on Earth because it will make it all worthwhile knowing a few dozen of our fellow humans are zooming their reproductive bitties across the Universe.

These scientists who claim to study the wheelworks of nature but have no respect for what they don't know seem intellectually stunted.
It has been pretty well established that there are numerous dimensions in the physical Universe which we know almost nothing about and without which, modern physics falls over.

What is wrong with a natural sense of awe and wonder? What is wrong with accepting the physical limitations of our bodies here on Earth?
What is wrong with looking deeper internally for the ultimate escape?

Hawking's ilk are like zealot materialists. It doesn't matter if we kill the whole planet as long as our progeny can go forth and kill more planets.

[Pretorian]

Hawking's ilk are like zealot materialists. It doesn't matter if we kill the whole planet as long as our progeny can go forth and kill more planets.

Perhaps its our destiny-- to destroy everything alive in the Universe.

[americandream]

Its my destiny to tell you thats a load of hogwash.

Hawking's ilk are like zealot materialists. It doesn't matter if we kill the whole planet as long as our progeny can go forth and kill more planets.

Perhaps its our destiny-- to destroy everything alive in the Universe.

[Serial_Worrier]

Can I say what you're all thinking? Ad hom deleted by eastbay

[americandream]

Don't presume to speak for others when attacking another. It's cheap and immature.

Attack Cid's ideas, prove him wrong and persuade us as to the soundness of your views or else consign yourself to being irrelevant intellectully.

Can I say what you're all thinking? ad hom deleted