A brief visit to 2124 – 12/31/2023 – Sidereal Messenger

The year is 2124. The Earth has already overcome the worst of the climate crisis, after a very difficult 21st century. A mass extinction of species along the lines of the worst the planet has ever faced could not be avoided, but humanity survived and learned to live in a more harmonious way with its home world.

Part of this success has come from new sources of clean energy, such as nuclear fusion reactors and large solar panel stations, many of which are installed in space. Even on the Moon, where around 100,000 people live, they have been implemented, providing energy to Earth through microwave beams.

There are also around 200,000 people living on Mars, and there is already a local terraforming effort, with the release of methane and CFCs, as well as other powerful greenhouse gases. After having learned, the hard way, the lesson of how to deal with our own planet, we developed the ability to bring life to other worlds, creating habitable environments in ancient inhospitable deserts. It’s true that in 2124, Mars is still far from as comfortable as Earth; Its inhabitants still live most of their time underground and need protective clothing when going to the surface. But the path is set for the Solar System to eventually have two living planets.

This human expansion, aided by robots and artificial intelligence, has created new artistic and cultural explosions. Martian bands routinely top the charts on Earth. Cinema productions made by automation were a fad – in the end we discovered that our interest is in art created by other human beings, with technology taking an important but secondary role.

We continue to explore the farthest reaches of the Solar System, but there are still few manned missions beyond Mars. The ones that stand out the most involve the study of life forms discovered in the subsurface ocean of Europa, Jupiter’s moon. By finding a second origin for life, scientists are very close to understanding the steps that take simple compounds to ultimately produce self-replicating organisms capable of Darwinian evolution.

The development of practical and reusable vehicles (including orbital elevators) has made the exploration of natural resources in space viable. Mining activities were gradually stopped on Earth, where they caused great environmental impact, and began to be conducted on the Moon, Mars and asteroids, providing raw material for our home world, as well as for all human colonies in the Solar System.

Interstellar flight is still a challenge, but there are already projects underway that launch large, ultralight, unmanned laser-powered light ships at up to one-tenth the speed of light. A robotic journey to Alpha Centauri is expected to last just over 40 years, but will be completed before the middle of the 22nd century.

Is this all fantasy? I don’t know. But space exploration is one of the noblest and most fascinating endeavors ever undertaken by our species and it gives us, in addition to all its present and future practical benefits, something we very much need in these difficult times: hope. Happy New Year.

This column is published on Mondays in print, in Folha Corrida.

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