Submitted by BluntBastard t3_10qd1id in Futurology
This question popped into my head while watching The Expanse series, a series that the majority of you have likely either seen or heard about. In case anyone here hasn't, it's a show set a couple hundred years in the future. Navies have moved from seafaring powers to spacefaring ones. Earth is controlled by the UN, Mars is it's own power, and the asteroid belt is inhabited by numerous factions that share a similar culture/identity.
I believe it to be obvious that we'll eventually exist within a similar reality, barring of course our self destruction, the second coming of Jesus for those who believe this, some sort of apocolypse, etc. No one can say for sure how long society will exist, but it only took us 70 years to advance from a horse and buggy to the rocket and Mars colonization may occur soon if Musk has his way of things.
This of course means that eventually seafaring vessels will become obsolete. Keeping in mind of course that all of this is speculative, what do you believe that naval powers will look like at the dawn of this reality? What systems specifically would result in this? Advanced jet engines that extend range and increase speed and effeciency? Lighter, cheaper rockets that have the range of ballistic missiles? Will military platforms have to be spacefaring? Will Earth have to be united before this reality occurs, or could nations simply duke it out on land and in space?
As a side note, the United States Air Force is currently working on their 6th generation fighter jet program, one of at least three programs that I'm aware of. The wish list the USAF has for this platfrom makes it sound less like a fighter though and more like a bloody spaceship. I can share more info if anyone is interested, but I believe that it points towards just how near to this reality we actually are.
ghost-rider74 t1_j6pbf6f wrote
NGAD is not space force by many any means.
Let's figure our our world first before going to others and screwing this up too.
At the moment mankind is a virus on this planet. Let figure out how to live HERE harmoniously before going somewhere else.