Suppose we knew the Earth was doomed because a giant comet would soon engulf it. Could we escape into space?

Question

Let's say that there was a giant comet or object that would soon totally obliterate the Earth. Whatever the object or force is, it will hit us in 4 years and there will be nothing left of the planet.

Do you think we could build spaceships so that at least a few of us could escape into space and survive?

How do you think something like this would play out?.

Answer 1

Not right now.  We have the technology to survive in space, but we need food and oxygen from earth to survive in space.  We currently don't have the capabilities to create the life sustaining substances we need to survive for very long away from earth.

Answer 2

No, at present no one on Earth would escape into space. It might have been (if history had taken a different path) someday possible that a few people might have made such an escape, but unless you were a politically well-connected person, or closely related to one, you would have no chance to be chosen, whatever your learned skills and heritable virtues might be.

Answer 3

The comet of 2012 is a very real possibility and I beleive if humans were to ban together for survival purpose anything is possible.

However with all the greed and recognition people want with "I did this" or "I was the one who came up with that idea" we will never be able to settle on one solution. People today do not seem to want some one else to have the life saving idea because they know or should I say believe their idea is right and/or better.

My hope is for the human race to come together as one race and one people, perhaps something good will come out of this comet the government keeps trying to make light of.

Good Luck with your search and theories.

Answer 4

There's no way that enough ships could be built for all six billion of us, and that being the case, those not selected for the few that could be built, would certainly take steps to ensure that nobody went. That's just how some people are, you know?

Answer 5

First of all the object would have to be pretty big. Second of all you would have to pretty special to get on one of those shuttles. Not many of us would survive. We wouldn't survive for long because, we would run out of Oxygen.

Answer 6

would take too much time. Chaos would come out about who gets to go.

Answer 7

I remember that TV show (Star Lost 1973)

The ship:

http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/props/ark5....

Link:

http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/star.html

However, the short answer is no;  we are not yet ready to colonize another planet, and, even if we were in say 100 years, we would only be able to save a few people.  Mars is closets neighbor that is likely to host a colony;  it has water, soil nutrients, and enough solar energy;  but it is an extremely harsh environment.  Even with another century of technological advancement, the exploration of the planet during the period, and the establishment of a few permanent Martian bases, it is unlikely the species would survive there;  nor would anyone want to.

Answer 8

yes,just before it hits everyone can sick their head between that 'space' between their lags and kiss their sweet @zz good by.

Answer 9

4 years is not enough. Developing a manned spacecraft alone takes already 8-15 years, a full colony program even more time. When the comet is also pretty large, you would not even be safe on the moon - debris from Earth would rain on the moon.

The time would be better spend digging fox holes and pray, but for example, 10 years advance warning would be enough for bring some few people to mars. The technology is almost there, it just means that you will loose some crews because of unknown problems. These unknown problems are the reason why spacecraft development takes so long because of testing. when you can afford loosing 50% of the spacecraft, you can also do it with less testing. Of course, 50% loss makes only sense when the alternative is more than 50% loss. Which is a unlikely loss rate for any object smaller than 500km. But you can calculate the effects, for example assuming a 500km comet hitting the opposite side of Earth.

When you would have 20 years advance warning, you can even attempt deflecting the comet. 10 years for developing the technology and 5 years for intercepting the comet is realistic, but still risky and would require you to launch multiple interceptors and hope enough hit.

Answer 10

No point.  How long do you think we could survive in space aboard a spaceship?  And how many of us?

It is impossible to find another planet like earth near enough to go there.

So lets hope we can develop the technology to destroy or divert comets that may crash into us.

But will we look after our earth?

Answer 11

Not at present, a few of us could head for the international space station for a few months provided they've fixed that toilet.

I think we'd be headed underground, till it all blows over :)

Answer 12

Kind of a "Noah's Ark" tale