Whenever I leave campus during the evening, I look up at the clear night sky. First, I look for the moon, if it is visible. I then look at stars that have not been drowned out by light pollution. Finally, I look for Jupiter and Venus, which have recently been particularly visible. There is something marvelous about being able to look at a planet with the naked eye that makes you feel a lot more connected with the cosmos, which is often perceived as distant and separate from humanity.

Questions that arise while stargazing include “Is there life out there?” and “When will humans live in space?” Scientists search for intelligent life based on a potential civilization’s energy consumption. They categorize them as Type I, Type II, and Type III civilizations.

Type I is planetary. They control the energy of a planet. They have the ability to tap the energies of tornadoes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as opposed to running away from them.
Type II is stellar. They control the energy of a star, much like the Federation of Planets from Star Trek.
Type III is galactic. They control the energy of billions of stars in their galaxies, like the Empire from Star Wars.

We are a Type 0 civilization. Humans gather their energy from dead plants (oil and coal). But we are seeing the birth pangs of a Type I civilization. For example, the European Union is the beginning of a Type I economy. English is a Type I language. The Internet is the beginning of a Type I communication system. Rock and Roll, Rap music, Gucci, Prada, Hollywood celebrities are signs of a Type I culture.

While the transition from Type 0 to Type I is perhaps the most glorious of transformations, it is also the most dangerous. Type 0 civilizations are rather primitive and vulnerable. They are subjected to nuclear warfare, germ warfare, terrorism, fatal asteroid collisions, and many other dangers to which they do not have the means to stop. It is not certain whether we will make it to Type I.

I see the issues that our civilization faces and I become more convinced of the necessity of space exploration and extending our means of survival beyond the Earth. A rising world population comes with tremendous demand. As resources grow scarce, violence and aggression will spread as people fight to survive. The Earth will be unable to sustain us indefinitely, and it will simply be too much to keep asking people to compromise the comforts of their lives. Space colonization is the optimal, inevitable, and necessary solution.

But at the current rate efforts in space exploration are being promoted, it is not likely the solution will be achieved in time to meet the problems we face. NASA receives only half a penny for every tax dollar. Their entire 50 year running budget is less than the $850 billion bank bailout. That funding has paid for space rovers, spaceships, the Hubble telescope, sending a man to the moon – all monumental achievements that have pushed our understanding of the universe and our technological capabilities to horizons beyond. Imagine what our world would be like if they had the other half of the penny. But more importantly, when making efforts to pioneer space exploration, you do not make advancements in one field, but across many other disciplines like electrical engineering, mechanical, robotics, materials science, biology. The space program is the tent pole to the entire scientific enterprise that can give manifold benefits in various ways.

How then do we make this happen? I think the first step is that more people should start looking up. Appreciate the heavens, the possibilities, and the necessity of expanding our understanding of the cosmos. And hopefully, this collective desire will trickle over to those who have the capacity to take action and the vision to partake in great opportunities. Maybe then, we will have the chance to reach Type I.

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