It seems that each year someone comes across something fantastic either in theory or practice that shows how things could be done to allow for a star trek, starwars, BSG, sort of world some day..
There are many issues to overcome before manned missions to other planets are possible, the next potential mission would be manned to mars.. This alone would take more than half a year for them to reach and (214 days) they have several road blocks to it's success already. Oxygen, fuel, and food. Even more so, it needs to be enough to return as well.
Fuel could help with the whole thing, but they have a way of getting around it, which is described here:
http://www.universetoday.com/14841/how- ... t-to-mars/
Food and water are next, and urine recycling is top of the list. Survivalists have been doing this sort of thing for years.. and on the space station it's already in practice, but as mentioned in this article, when in space it costs energy to do and for a long flight, fuel, and energy are in short supply, so we need to conserve in every way possible. That's where this little baggy system comes in:
http://www.geekosystem.com/shuttle-urine-recycling/
so how about food? current ideas surround rehydrating things that can be dehydrated and kept for extended time. It appears mostly vegetable items. however if a neat source of filtered light can be put in place (our atmosphere filters our sunlight) and moisture can be maintainted, they may be able to grow some foods to supplement this. However this doesn't appear to be mentioned in this particular article. Instead it talks just about the processing of the food, and waste materials for the prep, as well as post consumption, into fuels, and paper.
http://www.worldfoodscience.org/cms/?pid=1003816
Oxygen is a big issue. After all one can go days without food or water, but can not last even an hour without air. So CO2 scrubbers need to be in place. The most efficient is again, plants.. however plants produce oxygen in low quantity, and yet need water and sunlight for the process. Photosynthesis is really the key, and what it is is carbon dioxide, and water, combine with photons and the chlorophyl to make glucose and air. They have other methods, those used on Subs i think, depend on being surrounded by a plentiful source like water where you can use electrolysis to gain oxygen. Anyway, something needs to be done in order to maintain oxygen, in some way. In one study I saw that it took about 300-400 for an average adult, depending on their state of activity and the temperature of the environment... and that those plants needed roughly 30 medium sized leaves on it, as the calculations were based per leaf, since those are the construction site for the conversion. the big green solar panels
Since the filight is assumed to be manned (or womanned 
) by at least 6 individuals, you'd need to have one hell of an amazon forest in there How about artificial gravity? and methods for exercise.. also important to keep them in shape for return to earth. Alternate modes of travel to make the trip shorter? what about long term colonization of mars? or the moon? recyling, converting and all that could lead to benefits here at home too. better self sustainability means less waste and pollution. less consumption of power leads to a greener environment.
anyone have interesting ideas or science/space links they would like to post? I'm certain Zyx probably has a few in his big brain
a few side ones in the science theme:
energy from gravity and a few drops of water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0wxRDLGUV0
wireless energy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgBYQh4zC2Y
moo
i hope the sun does not make it to difficult to see all the meteors for the next couple days. i love looking up in the night sky.
