Dan Sugalski@wordshaper@weatherishappening.network
@cstross@wandering.shop @nyrath@spacey.space I remember doing the math once, and I came away convinced that the overwhelming problem with any kind of interstellar travel is that space is big. (I didn't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it was...)
Going anywhere in a reasonable amount of time requires impossible amounts of energy, and going anywhere with reasonable amounts of energy requires impossible amounts of time. And, more than that, impossible amounts of equipment life.
Angus McIntyre@angusm@mastodon.social
@wordshaper@weatherishappening.network @cstross@wandering.shop @nyrath@spacey.space Maybe the ultimate answer to the Fermi Paradox is that every civilization eventually does the math and says “You know what? There's no way to make this thing work. Why would we even bother trying?” and resigns itself to a peaceful, low-energy retirement on its home planet. Until either its primary expands into a red giant or, more likely, the ecosystem goes tits-up as a result of previous bad decisions.