Season 3 2017

In this episode we begin our look at possible Alien Civilizations by considering the impossible ones. Fiction has introduced a lot of misconceptions about aliens we need to clear away before we can seriously consider them and that begins by looking at some of the common ideas and removing any that rely on the concept of advanced civilization being quite stupid.

We continue our look at hypothetical alien civilizations by discussing the various possible circumstances in which we might first contact them or be contacted by them.

A look at advanced means of altering or controlling the planet's climate and geography, drawing on concepts proposed for terraforming other planets. We look at existing and proposed ideas of controlling the weather, creating artificial islands or mountain ranges, using orbital mirrors and shades, and many other concepts.

In this episode we continue our look at possible Alien Civilizations by attempting to peer into the alien psyche. In the absence of any actual ones to examine we will review fictional examples and try to match those up against both human behavior and what we might consider likely, unlikely, or impossible to arise from evolutionary processes.

This episode focuses on many of the problems with travel between stars at relativistic velocities, like collision avoidance, radiation, ship geometry, armor, and point-defense.
We will also look at some of the possible engine types and discuss realistic maximum speeds they offer.

In this episode we explore technological challenges and solutions for extending the human life span and contemplate some of the challenges an extended lifespan might pose for our civilization.

In this episode we continue our look at possible Alien Civilizations by discussing language and communication. How could we translate their language? How would they translate ours? What modes of communication are available besides sight and sound?

This episode discusses the idea over using chains of relays firing immensely powerful lasers or streams of particles to move spaceships between neighboring stars at near-light velocities.

The first installment in a new series discussing alternative means of getting in space, from better rockets to massive structures like Space Elevators, Skyhooks, and Launch Loops.

In this episode we examine the concept of a Space Elevator, a popular piece of developing technology designed to lift people and cargo into space at a fraction of normal launch costs. We will look at technology as well as many of the misconceptions about Space Elevators which have emerged.

In this episode we explore Quantum Computers, from the basic theory to the potential applications, as well as many myths and misconceptions this groundbreaking technology has accumulated.

In this episode we examine the Skyhooks and Rotovators, technology designed to lift grab spaceplanes or rockets at far slower speeds than normal and lift them into space at a fraction of normal launch costs.

Space is a hostile place, in this episode we will look at what you need to survive in it, dispels some myths about it, and get into the specifics of how much air, water, power, and other things you need and how to get them.

This episode feature Mass Drivers, Space Guns, and other means of rapidly accelerating a spaceship up to orbital speeds without a rocket. We will explore the basic concepts, the engineering issues, and the potential cost & safety advantages & disadvantages along with how these devices can be used in tandem with other systems we have looked at.

Continuing our look at possible alien civilizations, we examine extinct alien civilizations and the possibly of finding them and exploring their ruins to learn about them. We will also contemplate the possibility of bringing them back, and the conundrums that raises.

In this episode we'll be looking at improvements to rocket systems, with the main focus on re-usability. We will also look a bit deeper at rocketry principles, at some other improvements and alternative uses for rockets, such as oceanic launches, and discuss Metallic Hydrogen, a potential game changing fuel.

We examine the concepts of cyborgs, clarify what they are and how they differ from bionics, androids, and similar concepts. We also discuss some of the lesser known options for augmentation and explore the notion of man-machine integration.

While potentially dangerous, nuclear powered spacecraft offer far faster and more efficient spacecraft than traditional chemical rockets. Today we will examine the various means of using atomic power sources to propel spacecraft, both to get off Earth and to travel to other stars.

Science Fiction loves the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, but its implication go far beyond basic Alternate Universes and histories. Today we will explore some of the mind-bending consequences of this theory.

We return to the Moon to explore ways to go beyond simple Lunar Bases to a full-fledged productive colony that can help us travel to other worlds and expand our own.

look at methods for predicting the future, how plausible they are and what hurdles they face, with a focus on Isaac Asimov's concept of Psychohistory, from the classic Foundation series.

The Launch Loop is a type of space vehicle launch assist mechanism that allows us to transfer vast amounts of energy and momentum from ground based generators to a launch vehicle high in the upper atmosphere.

Fraser Cain and Isaac Arthur team up again to bring you another epic collaboration. This time, it’s a 2-part series of construction tips from an engineer from a Type 2 Civilization. In this episode, we harvest helium 3, mine the asteroids, and rearrange the Solar System.

Part 2 of our look at mega-engineering projects civilizations may tackle on their way to achieving Kardashev 2 status. Teaming up again with Fraser Cain & Universe Today, we look at artificial magnetospheres, mining and disassembling comets, asteroids, and even whole planets, and harvesting the Sun itself.

Today we look at using Space Towers, Buoyant Structures, Airships, and Space Fountains as means of launching spaceships, as well as their other applications to create enormous structures that normal materials could never permit.

This episode begins our look at solutions to the Fermi Paradox - the question of why the Universe appears empty of intelligent life besides ourselves - by looking at some of the reasons why life may simply be very uncommon. Before we can contemplate what might be special about Earth, we first need to consider what might be special about our region of space, and even our epoch of time, or our Universe itself.

The Orbital Ring is a type of launch-assist system that goes beyond moving small ships and crews into space and allows cheap movement of bulk cargo up to space, into orbit, and beyond.

We return to the Megastructures series to examine the the concept of a Dyson Sphere, a means of enclosing a star to gather all of it energy. We will look at myths and misconceptions about Dyson Spheres, as well as a number of additional purposes they can be put to, from allowing interstellar travel to generating black holes or running computers large enough to simulate whole Universes.

In the previous episode we saw how civilizations might not simply survive after all the stars in the Universe had died, but might indeed thrive far better during the Black Hole Era of the Universe. Today, we will go beyond even the Dark Era to examine the concepts or Iron Star Civilizations, Boltzmann Brains, Reversible Computing, and even reversing Entropy itself.

We continue our look at possible explanations why life may be very rare in the Universe by examining our planet itself, and looking at which of its characteristic might be important to intelligence developing and how improbable those traits are for a given planet in a given solar system.

Force fields are a staple of science fiction, but usually regarded as only science fiction, not science fact. Today we'll examine the notion and see what options we might have inside known science, as well as what alternatives might achieve similar effects.

It is often suggested that the reason we don't hear from alien civilizations is that they are in hiding. In this episode, we will explore that notion, and examine why a civilization might hide and how they would go about doing it.

Many technologies are greaty anticipated and predicted, and promise to change our lives. Today we will be looking at some that get less fanfare, but hold the promise to change our lives in profound ways.

We begin the new Outward Bound series by discussing the Colonization of Mars, and survey all the colonizing and terraforming options from the early settlement days to the far future and a Green Mars.
We will also look at alternatives to terraforming which might make more sense for Mars, like bioforming the people to the environment, rather than terraforming it to our environment.

We conclude our look at possible explanations why life may be very rare in the Universe by looking at the evolutionary pathway to intelligence and the hurdles between life starting on a planet and migrating off of it.

Following on our look at Space Warfare concepts, we look at popular ideas from science and science fiction for war between planets, or inside a fully colonized solar system or Dyson Swarm.

We continue our look at colonizing the solar system by visiting Venus, and exploring both the options for vast floating habitats in the upper atmosphere as well as full terraforming of the planet.

Ringworlds are a type of megastructure that engulf an entire star, first popularized in Larry Niven's classic novel Ringworld. These constructs a million times larger than Earth have captivated minds for nearly half a century but been considered impossible to build under known science. Today, we will attempt to show otherwise.

We continue our look at hypothetical Alien Civilizations by examining concepts such as Zoo Hypothesis - that aliens may be keeping us secluded from the rest of the galaxy - and the motivation for non-interference, such as the Star Trek Prime Directive.

The concept of enhancing and augmenting animal minds & bodies to be able to use and understand human technology, known as Uplifting, has long fascinated us. Today in this two-part collaboration with John Michael Godier, we will explore this concept as well as the possibility of using such technology with alien races, the polar opposite of the classic Star Trek Prime Directive.

Part II of a collaboration with Isaac Arthur on the subject of uplifting, the concept of increasing an animal or alien species' intelligence. Further, we explore the concept of Downshifting, the idea of making deliberately making something less intelligent.

Androids, machines that look and act human, are rapidly leaving the realms of science fiction and entering science fact. In this episode we explore their uses, dangers, ethical dilemmas, and more.

We continue our look at colonizing the solar system by visiting Saturn's moon Titan. We will examine the options for less classic colonization by exploring alternatives to manned colonization and classic terraforming.

A look at methods and concerns for augmenting the human mind. Today we will be looking at Mind Augmentation, the basic concepts, methods, ethical concerns, and possible pitfalls entailed.

It is often thought that if we cure aging or find out how to upload a human mind that humans will be immortal. Today we will examine that notion and see how well it holds up against astronomical time lines.

Today we discuss the concept of trade throughout a colonized solar system, and ask how viable it is and what challenged it faces.
While Interplanetary trade faces many challenges, Interstellar Trade faces even more, this episode will seek to examine in detail what can be traded between worlds, what probably can't, and what technologies might impact that.

In memory of Carl Sagan, this episode will review many of the topics he covered during his career and see what what we've learned about the Cosmos and its inhabitants since then.

A look at creating artificial planets, ones vastly bigger than Earth. We return to the Megastructures series to discuss various ways of creating artificial planets, the special issues with making an Earth-like planet much larger or smaller than Earth, and the maximum size they can be, potentially larger than entire solar systems.

Jupiter and its moon are a rarely considered prospect for colonization, but potentially the ripest opportunity for it in the solar system. In this episode of the Outward Bound series we will examine the options for colonizing each of Jupiter's primary moons and even discuss ways to colonize the giant planet itself.

The possibility of Artificial Intelligence turning on humanity has been a concern for as long as we've had computers. Today we will look at some of those fears and see which ones might be valid and which might not be cause for alarm.

The concept of linking many minds together to act in concert, or even fuse into a new singular entity, has been popular in science fiction for decades. Today we will explore the idea and Networked Intelligence in general, to see how realistic it is, and what benefits or concerns might arise from it.

Could the cold outer reaches of the solar system ever be called home? Far beyond even Pluto and the Kuiper Belt is a vast and mostly empty region of space that we theorize may contain trillions of comets and other icy bodies. Frozen and barren though they would be, we will consider how they might one day become thriving and comfortable habitats for us.

The concept of Interstellar Empires has fascinated us for as long as we've know those stars in the night sky were other solar systems, and it's become a staple of science fiction. But rarely do we consider how realistic such galaxy-spanning confederations are, and what special challenges they'd face.

We often discuss the notion of settling the galaxy but do we need to stop there? This episode will examine the additional difficulties with traveling between galaxies and ask just how far we might be able to journey even without faster than light travel.