The Firmament Outlook spacecraft travels through space, its magnificent and massive shape resembling a skyscraper or a giant aircraft carrier flying in the boundless starry sky, showcasing the technological power of modern humanity.
This was unexpected by humankind ten thousand years ago.
The grand plan, envisioned as taking a century to reach outer space, five hundred years to land on planets surrounding Garden of Eden, a thousand years to break through Garden of Eden Lesser Garden of Eden Galaxy (similar to our Solar System ), and five thousand years to break through the Greater Garden of Eden Galaxy (similar to the Milky Way Galaxy ), has yet to be truly achieved even after ten thousand years: breaking through the Lesser Garden of Eden System.
The reasons for this are, firstly, limitations imposed by materials and the body's own functions.
Secondly, the Greater Garden of Eden Galaxy is far too vast. At humanity's current speed, it would take at least tens of thousands of years to travel within it. Compared to the entire Greater Garden of Eden Galaxy, human progress in a mere ten thousand years is like an anthill appearing on Earth.
Even the first free-moving spacecraft launched into outer space in the very early stages of space exploration has yet to leave the Lesser Garden of Eden System.
Over tens of thousands of years, humanity has only managed to establish habitable outer space cities on a few nearby planets within the Lesser Garden of Eden System!
Even though humanity can already traverse the Lesser Garden of Eden Galaxy, the current level of technology and the challenges of travel make further expansion beyond the Lesser Garden of Eden Galaxy a completely disproportionate effort to achieve.
But this cannot extinguish humanity's yearning for the starry sky.
The reason for this lies entirely in the contradictory traces that humanity has discovered throughout the entire Garden of Eden Galaxy over the past ten thousand years...
The Firmament Outlook is far larger than the Empire State Building, with a massive volume exceeding a thousand meters in length and width, making it truly resemble an island floating in space.
And there are quite a few of these space islands and space motherships orbiting the dozen or so planets of varying sizes in the Lesser Garden of Eden Galaxy.
There are also super warships from the military, resembling true space cities, blotting out the sky and orbiting the planet. Small spaceships occasionally fly out from them, roaring into the distance.
Contrary to expectations, human technological progress over the past ten thousand years has been minimal, and even interstellar development has fallen into an unimaginable predicament.
The main reason is the limitation of materials and the limitations of the human body's own functions.
First, there is the limitation of materials. Although modern humans have made breakthroughs in nuclear fusion technology and possess seemingly inexhaustible energy, and have even made great strides in the use of natural energy such as solar and wind power, they still cannot find or synthesize more advanced, stronger, or materials that are desired for certain scientific research purposes.
A prime example of this is the nuclear fusion reaction problem that has hampered humanity for centuries—the material's tolerance to extreme environments, or room-temperature superconducting materials.
These are typical examples of existing theories that hinder technological progress due to the inability to address material issues.
Mechanics of materials is the core support for human technology.
Modern space travel faces the same problem. Although continuous acceleration in space can make it faster and faster, gradually approaching the speed of light, subsequent deceleration also requires fuel to continue and eventually come to a stop.
This leads to problems with material wear and durability, fuel and operational issues, and how to steer and maneuver at such high speeds to avoid meteorites—a variety of problems that make it impossible for humans to travel in outer space at uncontrollable speeds.
Secondly, the physical condition of humans needs to be considered from a practical perspective.
For example, using hibernation pods for long-distance travel.
Prolonged hibernation requires consideration of maintaining the circulatory, respiratory, and nutrient supply systems, and preventing problems such as blood clots, infections, and muscle and bone loss. Low temperatures affect nerve cell function, and prolonged exposure to low temperatures to slow down human cell metabolism may lead to serious problems such as memory impairment and cognitive impairment. In addition, prolonged hibernation can also affect DNA repair mechanisms, making it more susceptible to irreversible damage from cosmic radiation.
In a hibernation pod with current technology, humans can achieve five times the lifespan of their maximum potential. During this period, they still need to come out for a week each year to exercise and recover their physical condition in order to hibernate again.
Even under such extreme hibernation conditions, the total lifespan granted by hibernation is only a mere five hundred years, which is far too short compared to space travel that often takes tens of millions of years.
As for the so-called space jump, such technology is completely impossible. Humans can only achieve space travel by continuous flight.
Therefore, modern spaceships are all enormous, in order to construct a small system inside, so that humans can reproduce, educate, and educate within them, so that missions can be completed through the joint efforts of two or three generations.
Even though today's AI robots are already extremely powerful, it will still take a lot of time to gradually expand into interstellar space.
Even so, humanity can still be said to have entered the era of interstellar colonization.
Even so, without groundbreaking progress in materials science, human technology will most likely remain limited and unable to advance further.
The Firmament Outlook resembles a small hill as it travels through the boundless starry sky.
From the glass-like curtain wall constructed of nanostructured materials on the outside, one can see shadowy figures and dazzling lights inside.
At this moment, the Firmament Outlook had just launched from Garden of Eden, and the crew members had not yet entered physiological hibernation. Instead, they were gathered in the space station's office, which had a rather cinematic style, and were having a meeting.
The current life support system is quite mature. With the support of a small nuclear fusion reactor, the entire spaceship can maintain an energy supply for thousands of years. This allows the crew members inside the spaceship to wear simple clothing, making it look no different from being inside the Garden of Eden.
Thanks to advancements in nanotechnology, the standard of living we enjoy today is unimaginable to people from the industrial age ten thousand years ago.
For example, even everyday clothing is made of nanobots, which can change the shape of the clothing at will. The military's nanosuits are now at the level of Iron Man. The only shortcoming is that they do not have the metal that can absorb impact like in the movies, so the military's nanosuits are still not very resistant to damage.
This is the limitation of materials, just like today's technology, which is also caught in a wait for a breakthrough in materials science.
The scientific research team aboard the Firmament Outlook is dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of the past and exploring the origins of theology.
In other words, those who wouldn't even be considered Vampire or superhumans before are now eager to become.
It has to be said that Norton's credentials are truly prestigious.