Let’s hope by the time it is possible for humans to utilize the slow transit method we’ve realized that putting people into space is essentially without value. For the cost of a single pointless human mission we can learn so much more about so much more by using robotic missions. Humans aren’t meant for space, and Star Trek is a very unreliable guide to what it’s really like out there. It’s a shame so few people seem to be able to grasp the difference between TV and reality.

TV: cowboys in space.

Reality: massive radiation, zero-G effects that totally mess up the human body, miserable cramped living conditions, and perpetual risk of death if the slightest thing goes wrong.

The difference matters.