From Olduvai Gorge to the Sea of Tranquility

 

This is an essay I wrote eight years ago to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing and was originally posted on the National Space Society's blog site on  August 10, 2009.

By far the two most remarkable photographs of the twentieth century are the ones shown above. For they encapsulate the whole evolutionary and cultural history of humanity and its possible destiny.

In 1978, paleoanthropologist Mary Leaky and her team discovered the earliest hominid footprints (dated to be three and a half million years old) preserved in the volcanic ash at Laetoli, forty-five kilometres south of Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. They belong to one of our proto-human ancestors - Australopithecus afarensis. The picture above shows one of these fossil footprints next to the boot print left by Neil Armstrong in the volcanic soil of Mare Tranquilitatis (the Sea of Tranquillity).

It is very symbolic of the giant evolutionary leap forward we have taken as a species. From Olduvai Gorge to the Sea of Tranquillity, we humans have travelled very far.

Evacuate Earth ~ Flooded Earth

Today on Far Future Horizons we look at the terrifying consequences that flash floods and rising sea levels could have on the global population.

Evacuate Earth ~ Monster Storm

Today on Far Future Horizon we present another horrific scenario. Imagine an immediate runaway greenhouse effect due to an explosive outgassing of the potent greenhouse gas methane from the ocean floor. 

This will drastically alter the climate of our planet.

Evacuate Earth ~ Hell on Earth

Today on Far Future Horizon we present another horrific scenario a primordial black hole impacts the Earth unleashing “Hell on Earth”. 

Evacuate Earth ~ Frozen Earth

Today on Far Future Horizons we explore another catastrophic scenario with dire consequence for humanity.

In this instalment of Evacuate Earth find out what may happen if a strange force pulls Earth from its orbit around the sun and sends us drifting out into the cold frigid darkness of outer space.

Evacuate Earth ~ Micro Monsters

Today on Far Future Horizons we begin  showcasing a new documentary series from the National Geographic Channel titled “Evacuate Earth”.

In this series premier we explore the question, do breakthroughs in technology bring new dangers to humanity?

Alien Invasion: Are We Ready?

Today on Far Future Horizons we present an exciting episode from the acclaimed Science Channel documentary series Curiosity ~ Alien Invasion: Are We Ready?

Scientists Rock - an Asteroid Day series

Today on Far Future Horizons we join the rest of the world in commemorating the second annual Asteroid Day by presenting this very special series of videos.

Could We Survive A Mega Tsunami?

Today on Far Far Future Horizons we explore the question Could We Survive A Mega Tsunami?

This BBC Two documentary starts with a horrific scenario a kilometre high tidal wave, travelling at the speed of a jet aircraft, and heading for us. 

The destructive effects of tsunamis have been all too evident in recent years, with one on Boxing Day (December 26^th)  2004 killing around 250,000 people in southern Asia and another striking Japan on March 11^th, 2011 and nearly bringing this nation close to the edge of a nuclear catastrophe. 

The Day of the Asteroid

Today on Far Future Horizons we present a short documentary titled the “Day of the Asteroid”.

The Doomsday Clock

The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic indicator made famous by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists since its inception in 1947, was moved Tuesday January 8, 2013 from six minutes to five minutes before midnight as a warning about nuclear dangers and climate change.

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." ~ J. Robert Oppenheimer Quoting from the Bhagavad Gita

 

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another episode of the acclaimed documentary series Modern Marvels which tells the story behind the "Doomsday Clock" of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The Doomsday Clock symbolizes all the existential threats currently facing the human species. According to the Doomsday Clock the World will end at the stroke of midnight!

Beyond Tranquility

This essay was originally posted on the National Space Society's blog site on August 11, 2009.

 

After Apollo, Can the dream of Solar System Settlement become reality?

The answer to that question is an unequivocal yes and the reasons have to do with economics, national prestige, national and environmental security concerns and the existential threats we face as a species.

Our species and our ancient forbearers were and remain innately a migratory species. The lure and call of distant lands and new horizons is an ancient passion. Modern science offers us tantalizing evidence of this wanderlust and has helped us weave a tale that is the stuff of legend. This migratory history is written in our genes and the fossil record. It is the story of how our species emerged out of Africa and spread out across the globe to become a planetary species.

Nature's Fury - Exodus Earth

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the first episode of an old Discovery Channel documentary series titled Nature's Fury. In this installment of Nature's Fury, Exodus Earth, we explore a scenario of the distant future where humanity must abandon its planetary abode and migrate elsewhere or face total extinction.

In the distant future the earth will die, whether by the hand of man, smashed by meteors, or burnt to a cinder by the expanding sun. 

Storm Worlds

A Raging Storm in Jupiter's Atmosphere 

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary series Naked Science which examines the most extreme weather conditions in the cosmos.

Red Giant ~ Swallowed by the Sun

Today on Far Future Horizons we present a horrific scenario. What if our life-giving Sun were to suddenly begin expanding into a Red Giant? A stellar Rip Van Winkle effect.



Something the Sun was not supposed to do until five billion years from now when it exhausts all its hydrogen fuel in its core and leaves the Main Sequence stage of its life. 

The current size of the Sun (now in the main sequence) compared to its estimated maximum size during its red-giant phase in the future

Aftermath - When the Earth Stops Spinning

Today on Far Future Horizons we explore the dire consequences if the Earth were to gradually stop spinning on its axis.

In this catastrophic scenario the spin of the Earth starts slowing down dramatically and is estimated Earth would stop spinning in as little as five years. The first effect is the isolation between the Global Positioning System satellites and ground-based atomic clocks. Then the all-day, all-night stock markets crash because the day is longer than 24 hours.

Over billions of years, our planet has developed into an intricate ecosystem, capable of sustaining life. But what would the outcome be if we were confronted by scenarios of apocalyptic proportions? Aftermath examines how we would cope in the event of various natural and man-made happenings on an epic scale. Imagining extreme scenarios, this four-part series looks at how the entire world would prepare for the end of time.

Aftermath - World Without Oil

Today on Far Future Horizons we take a glimpse into our collective future and ask the question – What would our world look like if we ran out of oil?

The Universe – Asteroid Attack

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another episode of the highly acclaimed documentary series The Universe ~ Asteroid Attack.

Weapons of Mass Extinction

The Cosmic Grim Reaper© Leighton Johns

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary series How the Universe Works ~ Weapons of Mass Extinction.

The Universe is a very dangerous place to live. Death and destruction lie all around us. The Cosmic Grim Reaper lies in wait; scythe in hand, in some dark corner of the universe ever ready to bestow some dark faith upon us.

How to Collapse a Superpower

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode of Through the Wormhole hosted by Morgan Freeman.

In this installment we explore the ultimate act of cyber terrorism.