The number show that with the right technology, meaning ships can accelerate to 0.05c and we can convert asteroid fields to self-sustainable habitats, a civilization could colonize the Milky Way in about 200,000 years. A blink of the eye in cosmological time scales. FTL isn’t necessary, except perhaps for cohesion.
Comment on Aliens Probably Exist - But They’re Staying Silent For a Reason
rimu@piefed.social 1 day ago
Population growth compounds, though. Once you’ve colonized a million worlds, the next million would come in a fraction of the time of the first million, and the next 2 million in less time than that, then 4 million in the same time as before, etc. Like grains of rice on a chessboard. Totally feasible to fill a galaxy if FTL travel is achieved.
GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
kalkulat@lemmy.world 1 day ago
If FTL is a thing, that’s OK with me, many good stories include it and I’d miss them.
FaceDeer@fedia.io 1 day ago
Yeah, it's really hard for the human brain to intuitively grasp exponential growth. Anyone who says a galaxy is "too big" hasn't actually run the numbers on that.
FTL is in no way necessary to allow for interstellar colonization to proceed.