Going To the Stars, Now

THERE ARE MANY perfectly intelligent people who are predicting the imminent advent of a golden age on Earth, based on some alleged new energy technology involving magnetism and gravity. Sounds good to me. Please bear in mind: anything's possible, including a telephone in everyone's pocket, pills for a better brain, space travel, nano tech, you name it. A Russian billionaire just yesterday announced his plans to build an interstellar spaceship the size of a ping pong ball, and send it to Alpha Centauri, at one quarter the speed of light, enabling it to arrive there in about twenty years. The propulsion system would involve a big laser beam aimed at a tin foil sail attached to the ping pong ball. Some sober minded, conservative scientist wryly remarked that all the project lacks is a spaceship and the laser propulsion system, but was otherwise good to go. All the technology required is already available, requiring only design and construction, and testing. Solar energy is unlimited, so, we know that free energy is no pipe dream either. The chief impediments to our oncoming golden age appear to be mainly sociological; economic and military rivalry, political opposition, lack of large organization and cooperative plans. For the United States to simply impose its will upon the world does not appear to be the solution, to much of anything. Those nations and individuals who possess the wealth and hence the power are not going to share it gladly for the advancement of all of humanity, without a mass revolution, except for a few glowing exceptions like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Denmark. Stay tuned for liftoff.