What will it take to drive human beings off the planet Earth and
to the stars? (updated)  Lee Roop | By Lee Roop | Email the
author | Follow on Twitter on February 05, 2013 at 4:03 PM,
updated February 07, 2013 at 3:51 PM Interstellar workshop logo
 HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Will it be a giant asteroid? They've hit
Earth before and, even though NASA thinks the odds a big one
will come anytime soon are very small, scientists do think a
significant asteroid could hit the planet sometime. Or will it
be nuclear war? We've avoided one for 60-plus years, but will we
be able to avoid one forever? Or maybe we'll just exhaust the
resources of the planet if our population and lifestyles keep
going.  The possibilities for global calamity don't stop there
-- climate change, anyone? -- so the question for some
scientists isn't if humans will eventually need to leave. It's
whether we'll be ready when the time comes. Having that
conversation and beginning to formulate ways to get to the stars
isn't just the province of Hollyw