h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There is a simple reason why we should put huge amounts of money into space exoploration (aside from fleeing the Big Crunch and all) that is: human beings are an impatient, curious species. If we confine ourselves to Earth we will become rabid from this suppressed frontiersmann impulse. We need to move out, to explore. Without it we become stale and start dying. The cheap gaudiness of Fame and Fortune are not enough; we need to boldly go...(etc.). If we had spent the money spent on the Cold War on spacecraft we'd be on Mars by now, and who knows where else?

Don't you realise that our development as 'venturers into space' has been purposely hampered by those very beings we wish to meet. They have taken a look at us at various times in our history and have decided we are too dangerous to let loose in the universe. Until we sort out our own shit we won't be allowed 'out there'!

I can't believe that. The aliens would never have let us into orbit, in that case. It may be that some of our problems are only solvable by going into space!

There is a huge difference in being allowed to play in our own backyard and having permission to 'cross the street' into real space. What problems are going to be solved in space - Kosovo?, the Middle East? The 'powers' don't want us or our problems out there!

I'm not saying that there aren't people out there that don't want us involved in there universe, but if problems need to be sorted, why don't they just tell us?

Of course they could be using this as some sort of initation test that might take thousnds of years to pass.

Any way, how have they hampered us?

We couldn't flee the big crunch (assuming that's what is going to happen) by just going into space. We'd have to leave this universe, surely?

Or escape gravity and magnatism

alternatively enter the fourth dimension and exist in a gelatinous fluid.

alternatively enter the fourth dimension and exist in a gelatinous fluid.

And how would that work?

Are you sure you don't mean the 5th dimension?

Time is the 4th...

Theoreticaly though. The concept of a forth dimension and its theory to what it is were mainly just sci-fi entertaiment of the 1930's. Also the diffrent meaings of dimesion have been confused many times in the past and it is almost impossible to discribe a 4th or 5th or 6th... etc...