Space Colonies

Stephen Hawking: Space May Save the Human Race

Professor Stephen Hawking, the celebrated physicist, has once again  proposed that the human race must colonize space in order to ensure its survival.

What has him so worried?

Hawking suggests that nuclear war or climate change could result in human extinction.

Discovery magazine also suggests that a global pandemic or an asteroid strike could end the human race.

So how could space colonies ensure the survival of mankind?

Hawking proposes spreading out human civilization over several planets so a disaster occurring on one world would not result in the end of the entire human race.

Discussion

1. You’ve probably seen movies like Deep Impact, the Day After or 2012. What do you think about the possibility of human extinction?
2. What do you think about the possibility of nuclear war or climate change being the causes of human extinction? 
3. Is it too late to prevent climate change?
4. Can world governments unite to prevent nuclear catastrophe? 
5. What can be done to prevent a collision with a giant asteroid?
6. Do you think Dr. Hawking’s warning of human extinction is the stuff of science fiction movies or do you think governments should begin to take his warnings seriously and start making plans for space colonization before it is too late?
7. What do you imagine life would be like in the first space colony?
8. How would you spend your last day if you heard on the news that a giant asteroid was heading toward planet earth and would collide in the next 24 hours?

From the Earth to the Moon