The Final Frontier: Preludes to Deep Space Travel

Abstract

Space is the next great frontier in the rise of civilization. The invention of primitive tools created the early world of humanity, agriculture permitted the rise of civilization, mass production produced material wealth, and now information technology (IT) and knowledge are leading to a more powerful domain of consciousness, as we will see in a following chapter. Our forecasts suggest that a number of path-breaking space projects should open up the limitless expanse of the universe over the next few decades — though we have only the faintest glimmering of what lies beyond our solar system and what our entry into deep space will mean.