[gregebowman]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
I was thinking about this the other day.

If by chance we do begin to explore the stars our technology, even though advanced, would be compareable to the old wooden sale vessels that we used for centuries here on Earth.

Those wooden ships were the ticket for how many centuries before the invention of steam came along and then metal ships and ultimately neuclear power?

When we start exploring space, and I believe we will never do this, but the ships used will be a standard design for many decades.

Think of it this way, we used those wooden ships for centuries before Steam power was developed, and a new form of locomotion was adopted. The same can be said here. We will use the technology we have at the time and it will slowly improve until one day a major break through will occur that will propel our understanding of space flight technology forward by leaps and bounds.

How long that will take only time can tell us.

I think in part it will depend on the government. I'm not sure how long NASA held onto microwave ovens and velcro, but I don't remember them being out until the late 70's. If by some chance a cure for cancer or some other deadly disease is discovered, do you truly think that with the government as it is now, beholden to every lobbyist under the sun, would release that knowledge to the general public? I don't think so. I think that whatever doodads come out will be more time-saving things, like microwaves were 30 years ago. Stuff to make us more fat and lazy, and not wonder about all of the vast scientific knowledge we should be accumlating. Maybe in a century or so things will change so that the government will release more of this life-saving techonology without costs, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon.