Hawking on space

The most visible physicist in the world has voiced his opinion on the future of mankind. Stephen Hawking, the British astrophysicist who made a name for himself with theoretical studies of black holes and the nature of space and time, believes that mankind's long term survival will require travel to space and other worlds. As has become somewhat customary in these days of terrorism and global warming, Hawking is concerned about the present state of man on Earth and our future here. He argues that the human race is more and more likely to annihilate itself or be annihilated by natural disasters. As a result, we must strike out into space to ensure our survival. I think Professor Hawking is being a little pessimistic about our future here on Earth, but I am certainly happy to hear one of mankind's intellectual elite casting a vote for furthering space exploration.