In 2050, people will come to realize that the pursuit of a high octane rating has destroyed the planet's ecology. Earth must either be restored or abandoned. Since the second option will not yet be feasible, all scientific and material resources will go towards restoring our damaged world. The first step will be an attempt to create a Dyson Sphere to extract more energy from the Sun. Although likely to fail, such frenetic activity in space caused by building just one segment of the Sphere will not go unnoticed by other, more advanced civilizations, which will surely seek to make contact with humankind on observing a level of development comparable to their own. And they will either help restore the planet to its former conditions or go back to where they came from. In the first case, the restoration will complete and cooperation with other civilizations will continue, while in the second, an attempt will be made to create a nuclear fusion reactor, which will probably be successful. After the development of a near eternal (by human standards) energy source, a huge technological leap will occur, propelling us finally into outer space. It’s quite possible (and even likely) that the Dyson Sphere project will never get past the drawing board, in which case a powerful thermonuclear reactor will appear even sooner.
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