Destiny of Humankind from an Astrobiology Point of View

Astrobiology is a multidisciplinary approach used to study the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life on Earth and in the cosmos and is based on the assumption that life is a universal planetary phenomenon if the right environmental conditions prevail. Such an approach helps to transform our Weltbild from a geocentric to a more Universe-oriented one. This chapter focuses on migration as a central attribute of life within the astrobiological context. Migration has been observed for terrestrial life throughout its more than 4 billion years (Ga) of history, across all domains of life. It appears, however, that migration is not confined to the planetary realm.

It is argued that microbial life-forms can be transported by meteorites between the planets of our solar system. In addition, humans have now developed the technology to leave their home planet and to explore other bodies in our solar system. This evolutionary step is still in its infancy, with the Moon being the only celestial body visited so far, yet it is demonstrated that technology exists for more ambitious projects, such as a visit to the planet Mars. The issue of whether human spaceflight has the potential to promote peaceful cooperation on a global scale is discussed briefly. Finally, forced migration due to environmental degradation is considered, with a special emphasis on hypothetical scenarios of a future exodus from the Earth as a consequence of anthropogenic collapse of the planet's life-support systems. The conclusion is drawn that sustainable development on Terra should be achievable using only a tiny fraction of the efforts required for interplanetary mass transportation.