If you're on the up and up regarding the current state of our planet, then you're probably already making plans for your very own interplanetary move. In fact, confirmed geniuses like Stephen Hawking are of the opinion that humans' only chance at making it through the impending thunderstorm of bullshit that awaits us is to start taking space travel way more seriously.
"I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as a sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers," Hawking said in the Guardian's excerpt from Julian Guthrie's How to Make a Spaceship, for which Hawking penned the the afterword. "I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go to space."
The promise of "no future" may seem harsh, but Hawking isn't exaggerating. The time is now to capture the imaginations of young explorers, Hawking insisted, as they're the ones who will ultimately help us make the next great leap while hopefully avoiding total destruction. "These first private astronauts will be pioneers, and I hope to be among them," Hawking said. "We are entering a new space age, one in which we will help to change the world for good. I believe in the possibility of commercial space travel—for exploration and for the preservation of humanity."
Hawking last reminded us of the futility of existence with a horrifying 100-year prediction, a startling revelation that sent news writers all over the world on a daunting quest to find the perfect Creative Commons image to signify annihilation. "We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years," Hawking said at the annual BBC Reith Lectures in January, according to the Washington Post. "So we have to be very careful in this period." You got it, Stephen.
