Existential crises, not curiosity, will force humans to become a multi-planetary species one day, experts told the two-day Dubai Future Forum.
A panel at the Museum of the Future addressed the way ahead for the space industry.
Billionaire Elon Musk has plans to colonise Mars and hopes to send a million people there by 2050.
Space agencies such as Nasa have plans to send astronauts to Mars, while the UAE set a goal of building a settlement there by 2117.
But a panellist at the event predicted that the kind of investment that is needed to colonise Mars would only come when humans on Earth face an existential crisis.
It will be war, disease, climate or famine. These existential threats are what I think would accelerate us to look to live on another planet
Mark Beer of Asgardia
Mark Beer, of Asgardia, an international project that is trying to set up a space nation, said environmental and health crises could drive that transition.
“Elon Musk thinks it's going to be a billion people living on Mars by the end of the century but what will be the accelerator? What will drive this transition to be living on Mars?” he said.
“Unfortunately, I predict it to be an existential event. It will not happen organically.
“It will be war, disease, climate or famine. These existential threats are what I think would force us to look at living on another planet.”
Astrophysicists have often criticised Mr Musk’s plans for Mars, saying that the planet has a hostile environment.
Terraforming — a process that changes a planet's conditions so it becomes habitable — has been suggested as a solution to making the Red Planet suitable for humans, but that could take millions of years.
There have also been calls for billionaires to invest in healing Earth from climate change instead of spending billions on trying to colonise other planets.
“What we're hearing is the challenge of cost — the cost of moving organic matter into another planet or transporting the infrastructure that we can build on another planet,” Mr Beer said.
“If we look back in history, at the point of which the maximum investment has been made financially in changing the world, it tends to come out of existential threats.
“The Second World War gave us the first electric computer … it gave us a 125,000-person nuclear programme to create an atom bomb,” he said.
“And that's why I think for space, it will not come out of that organic discussion, but the need.”
However, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed before humans can colonise Mars, including deadly radiation, cold and an unbreathable atmosphere.
Diego Urbina, team lead of future projects and exploration at a company called Space Application Services, said “we’re on the right track” for achieving those goals.
“I believe we’re taking the right steps — we’re lowering the cost of access to space with reusable rockets, which is quite important,” he said.
“And we're also creating this space economy that will make it more feasible to have these future space settlements. So I think we're on the right track, but it’ll take few decades to be able to get there.”
He said a lot more investment is needed to further accelerate the process.
The Dubai Future Forum concludes on Wednesday.
Dubai Future Forum 2022 - in pictures
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TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
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Age: 38
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Jeff Horn
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
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INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals
2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis
2004 Beat Andy Roddick
2005 Beat Andy Roddick
2006 Beat Rafael Nadal
2007 Beat Rafael Nadal
2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal
2009 Beat Andy Roddick
2012 Beat Andy Murray
2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2017 Beat Marin Cilic
