Space and survival is the idea that the long-term survival of thehuman species and technologicalcivilization requires the building of a spacefaring civilization that utilizes the resources ofouter space,[1] and that not doing this might lead tohuman extinction. A related observation is that the window of opportunity for doing this may be limited due to the decreasing amount of surplus resources that will be available over time as a result of an ever-growing population.[2]
The earliest appearance of a connection between space exploration and human survival appears inLouis J. Halle, Jr.'s 1980 article inForeign Affairs, in which he stated colonization of space will keep humanity safe should globalnuclear warfare occur.[3] This idea has received more attention in recent years as advancing technology in the form ofreusable launch vehicles and combination launch systems make affordable space travel more feasible.[4]
Existential risks are risks of human extinction or similarly severe and irreversible outcome.[5] According to theFuture of Humanity Institute, "humanity's long track record of surviving natural hazards suggests that, measured on a timescale of a few centuries, the existential risk posed by such hazards is rather small. The great bulk of existential risk in the foreseeable future isanthropogenic; that is, arising from human activity."[6]Toby Ord argues inThe Precipice that some such risks includeunaligned artificial general intelligence,pandemics (notably frombioterrorism), catastrophicclimate change, and globalnuclear warfare.[7][8] He views these as more likely than natural existential risks, such as fromsupervolcano eruptions ormeteor impacts.[9] Regardless of such risks, the Earth will become uninhabitable in around one billion years due to the gradually brightening Sun, which will require the descendants of today's humans to relocate elsewhere.[10]
Humanextinction can be prevented by strengthening the physical barrier, or increasing the mean distance, between people and the potentialextinction event.[citation needed] For example, pandemics are controlled by placing exposed people inquarantine and evacuating healthy people away. The human lineage of genusHomo has reduced from several species co-existing on Earth to just one — all others became extinct before the end of the lastIce age. This illustrates thatHomo sapiens is not immune to planetary disaster and that human survival may be better assured through the colonization of space.
Although space colonies do not yet exist, humans have had a continuous space presence since 2000 in the form of theInternational Space Station.Life-support systems that enable people to live in space may also allow them to survive hazardous events.
Expanding the living area of the human species increases the mean distance between humans and any known hazardous event. People closest to the event are most likely to be killed or injured; people farthest from the event are most likely to survive. Increasing the number of places where humans live also helps to prevent extinction. For example, if a massiveimpact event occurred on Earth without warning, the human species could possibly become extinct; its art, culture and technology would be lost. However, if humans had previously colonized locations outside Earth, the opportunities for the survival and recovery of the species would be greater.
Many challenges arise when travelling in outer space. One of the biggest issues that may affect the human body is interstellar radiation. While the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere protects all living forms on the planet, this cannot be said for outer space. According to researchers from theUniversity of Rochester Medical Center, a radiation equivalent to a mission to Mars can cause serious brain damage such as cognition problems and Alzheimer's disease.[11]
The observation and study of space protects Earth, as space hazards can be seen in advance and, if discovered early enough, acted against.
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) areasteroids,comets and large meteoroids that come close to orcollide with Earth.Spaceguard is the collective name for some of the efforts to discover and study NEOs, though these efforts are not sufficiently funded.
Some more contemporary reasons for space as a solution to survival have been identified as imperialist reasoning for space exploration, only relocating collective shortcomings and not solving them.[12]
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