A Large, Lonely Universe

Photo of moon by Daniel Millhouse

Are we alone?

It's a question that man has asked for centuries. Whether or not alien-life exists or has existed at some point in the universe's history. Some people claim to be one hundred percent sure they know the answer while others are waiting for proof one way or another.

If we aren't, the consequences of finding this out can change mankind as we know it and how we view ourselves and our place in the universe. Politics, religion, military, science, and pop culture are just some of the things that would affected.

The thing is...what if we are alone?

I don't mean alone as in the only life in our solar system or galaxy. I mean in our universe; past, present, and the future. What if life on Earth was just some accident?

Throw out religion out of the equation for a second, not trying to demean it in anyway. Think about how large our universe is. The uncountable amount of stars, let alone the sheer number of planets and moons that have plenty of room to play home to various types of species we could only dream of.

If there is no other life in the universe, the universe is truly a lonely place. What's the point of a universe, especially one so large, if there is no other life to share it with? Yes, one species may play the monster to another species and try to destroy it, pillage the other species' planet, or enslave it, but ultimately, the existence of life on one planet alone feels empty.

The hope should be that there is other living species out there, even if we find that it has gone extinct or is not nearly as intelligent as we hoped for. It almost seems pointless to live in a universe so large, alone.

Hopefully, near-future NASA projects give us an idea if any life may have existed or possibly exists within our solar system, whether it's revealed by a rover on Mars or drilling into the ice of Enceladus to determine if life is alive in the ocean that is speculated to be underneath the surface.

If no other life exists in the universe and something catastrophic wipes out life on Earth, the universe would be a lonely and pointless place.

Moon Base Logical Next Step in Space Exploration

Launching a rocket from Earth to space requires a large amount of fuel to overcome gravity and to get out of Earth's atmosphere. The extra weight of the spacecraft and the expensive cost of fuel make launching from the moon instead of Earth a possibly cheaper idea when talking about sending out satellites and astronauts to farther and farther reaches of our galaxy.

The moon would be the best first step in creating a launching point for deep space exploration. The initial cost to set up a moon base would be costly, but in the long run, a cheaper investment overall if we expect to eventually reach destinations such as Mars or even asteroids to mine for materials.

There has been speculation that a rocket can achieve a higher speed if launched from a lower gravity location. Earth's atmosphere and gravity slow rockets down at the initial launch. If humanity were to build a base on the moon, the peak speed reached by a rocket could be higher.

Eventually humanity needs to get off Earth as it is. In the short term, we may have to escape Earth because of the damage we have created through climate change. In the long term, the sun is a growing star that is ever expanding and eventually life on Earth will have to adapt and most likely leave the planet to avoid extinction (if we aren't extinct already).

There are resources elsewhere in our galaxy if we intend to explore our solar system and beyond. Asteroids have various elements that we can use to explore even farther. Moons of several planets are believed to possible have water as well. NASA is also finding exo-planets which could contain useful materials.

Space is our final frontier and if we expect to expand the lifespan of our species, we need to start with space bases. Starting with the moon seems to be easiest and most logical place to start.