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23rd century ... The Far Future: 2250-2299 timeline contents 2250 - Humanity is becoming a Type 1 civilisation on the Kardashev scale 2260 - Accelerated development of the Solar System 2280 - Microbial life is confirmed on an exoplanet
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Humanity
is becoming a Type 1 civilisation on the Kardashev scale In Earth orbit, a comprehensive network of stations is now in place. This cluster is organised in such a way that it harvests every ounce of incoming solar radiation being reflected back into space. In terms of raw electrical power, the total converted energy is equivalent to 52 petawatts (PW).* Each vessel acts as a node within a gigantic web, completely encircling the planet. The nodes produce attractive forces between each other, forming an invisible "shield" absorbing solar radiation from literally the entire globe.
This technology has the added benefit of stabilising the Earth's climate, since the network can be adjusted at certain points to control the amount of heat getting through. These variations allow rain to fall whenever and wherever necessary, while hurricanes and other such phenomena are easily controlled. The vast amount of energy now available to humanity is creating enormous wealth and prosperity. Earth's physical infrastructure is revolutionised - with teleporters available for civilian use, gargantuan skyscrapers reaching miles into the sky, and material needs practically eliminated. However, even greater breakthroughs have been occurring in cyberspace, which has supplanted physical reality completely, for many people. Virtual worlds are now of such grandeur and ingenuity that they far surpass anything in the real world. These digital environments run at speeds considerably greater than real time - further accelerating the pace of innovation. From this point onwards, the only way for civilisation to gain more energy is to expand outward into space.* Massive colonisation efforts are now underway. Asteroid mining dominates the economy of the inner Solar System, while hydrogen and helium are being siphoned from the gas giants. Meanwhile, terraforming of Mars has passed a critical stage, with bacteria and lichen beginning to appear on the surface. Interstellar travel increases greatly during this time. The settlements on Alpha Centauri, Barnard's Star and Wolf 359 are inhabited by thousands of humans and machines by now, while the most distant exploratory craft have reached over 50 light years from Earth. Faster-than-light travel is proving to be more difficult to achieve than previously thought, however, with maximum velocity still limited to 0.99c.
Accelerated
development of the Solar System On Mercury, colonies roll around the equator on giant train tracks - keeping pace with the planet's rotation so that they are always kept in the "terminator" zone. This ensures that the Sun never rises fully above the horizon, maintaining the optimum temperature and brightness.* On Venus, the first stage of a massive terraforming effort has begun. Automated craft are being sent to water-rich comets, redirecting them into the planet's upper atmosphere, while genetically-engineered extremophile bacteria are being seeded on the ground. Due to the much denser and more hostile atmosphere, this process is much slower than the efforts on Mars. However, with many people achieving practical immortality, human endeavors are becoming increasingly focussed on the long term. Already, there are citizens buying up land and real estate on the surface in preparation for the centuries and millenia ahead. Earth's own moon is the most heavily populated of all the colonies. It now has millions of permanent inhabitants. Entire cities have grown up around the original Apollo landing sites. Huge numbers of ordinary citizens are involved in the expansion of infrastructure and technological research. Mars recently declared its independence from Earth. Its surface is now dotted with tent cities and criss-crossed with a hyperfast, automated rail network. The terraforming operation is proceeding on schedule, with several giant orbital mirrors now in place. Hundreds of asteroids are now being mined - both in the main-belt and the Trojan region. Massive advances in nanotechnology and related fields enable these rocky bodies to be stripped literally atom-by-atom, so that nothing goes to waste. Precious metals are harvested for use in hi-tech industries, while volatiles such as water can be supplied wherever needed. Some of these minor planets are being hollowed out, their interiors converted into enormous power plants, habitats or scientific stations. Meanwhile, Jupiter is gaining a steady influx of prospectors - led by cyborgs and non-biologicals, including some with 100% nanotechnology-based forms. These individuals are better adapted to the radiation belts and harsh environmental conditions on Ganymede, Io, Europa et al.* Whilst the moons are being exploited for their metals, minerals and water ice, Jupiter itself is being mined for its rich gas resources. A number of floating cities and gigantic refineries are beginning to appear in the upper atmosphere. A similar situation is occurring in the Saturnian system. Its largest moon Titan now has a permanent base, while Enceladus is showing great potential as a future water source for the outer Solar System.* The rings of Saturn now have luxurious hotels orbiting around them, offering spectacular views of the planet. Guests can venture outside and drift among the slowly moving ice fragments. Even the distant planets of Uranus and Neptune have gas miners now - though development is somewhat slower this far out, the lightspeed barrier making communication and logistics rather cumbersome for now. Although Pluto and the Kuiper Belt have been largely ignored in terms of commercial development, unmanned probes have fully catalogued them by now - paving the way for future exploitation and development. The number of citizens making the journey to neighbouring star systems is growing exponentially during this time.
Microbial
life is confirmed on an exoplanet After surveying hundreds of worlds, automated probes uncover a unicellular organism within 50 light years of our solar system. This lifeform reproduces via binary fission. It has an internal chemical structure that is remarkably similar to DNA, suggesting that this form of replication may be quite common throughout the Universe. It exists on a warm, wet planet with a G-type star as its parent.** This system also includes gas giants in the outer regions, offering some protection from comets and other incoming bodies. The impact of this discovery is less profound than it might have been in previous centuries. Religion has already vanished from many societies, for example. Science and technology in general have advanced so far - in so many new ways - that previous "wonders" of the Universe are beginning to diminish in significance: even the possibility of alien life. Though still hailed as a landmark discovery, the emotional aspect of this and other breakthroughs has waned considerably, as human thought and endeavour become ever more computerised, logical and machine-like. Transhumans and robots now make up the bulk of the mainstream population. Efforts are now underway to uncover more advanced and complex life. The potential for contact with intelligent alien races is now being taken seriously for the first time.
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References 1 Kardashev
scale, Wikipedia: 2 Solar energy, Wikipedia: 3 The Singularity is Near, by Ray Kurzweil (2005) 4 This concept was featured in Blue Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson. 5 The Jovian system could pose significant problems for biological humans, due to its extreme radiation and gravity well. It would deliver about 3,600 rems per day to unshielded colonists at Io, and about 540 rems per day to unshielded colonists at Europa. Exposure of approximately 75 rems over a few days is enough to cause radiation poisoning, while 500 rems over a few days is usually fatal. 6 Colonization of the outer Solar System, Wikipedia: 7 Top 10 List of Habitable Stars to Guide Search, Space.com: 8 Stellar classification, Wikipedia:
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