WIWES contributed by Aharon Hauptman
First contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence
First Contact: Contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence/civilisation is established
Optical lifting demonstrated for the first time
Scientists observed and experimentally verified a micrometer-scale object being lifted by a beam of laser light. Optical lifting may be useful for improving the design of solar sails for interstellar space travel. The scientist...
Privatisation of space flights
Growing efforts of commercial firms to commercialise space travel, including space tourism. For example, Boeing has teamed up recently with a private spaceflight marketing firm to sell passenger seats for future flights of its ...
Low-cost space travel and human enhancement technologies enable massive migration of humans from earth and establishing permanent space colonies on other planet or on large space stations.
A military confrontation takes place in space, using space weapons such as anti-satellite lasers and missiles, space-planes, etc.
Revolutionary space propulsion technology
New space propulsion technology (not based on chemical rockets) enables a dramatic reduction of the cost per pound required to get a satellite into orbit or to propel a spacecraft to its destination in space This is achieved b...
Global warming is not anthropogenic
Scientists prove that the global warming is NOT anthropogenic, but related to changing solar activity or other newly discovered phenomena in space
Discovery of earth-like extra-solar planets
As of December 2, 2010, 505 extra-sols planets were detected. Most are giant planets (like Jupiter), but recently several relatively lightweight exoplanets, only a few times more massive than Earth, have also been detected, thu...
Life-form thriving on arsenic was discovered on Earth
NASA-funded research discovered microorganisms on Earth (in Mono Lake, California), able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. According to NASA, this finding of an alternative biochemistry makeup will alter...
Terrorists or criminal organisation uses remote-controlled swarms of "cyborg insects" (insects with implanted electronics) to infect people and/or animals or agricultural crops with biochemical agents. Perpetrators could be al...
Israel and Palestine join the EU
European leaders become heavily involved in the Midlle East peace process. As an incentive they propose to open negotiations with Israel and the forthcomimg independent Palestinian state about accession of both Israel and Pales...
Ideas for radically new ways to reach Space
Several innovative ideas published over the years point to potential alternatives to conventional space propulsion and may revolutionise space travel (e.g. by using much less energy). A well-known (but hard to realise) concept ...
Earth biosphere damaged by Gamma-ray bursts
Gamma-ray bursts originating thousands of light-years away cause serious damage to the earth biosphere, including shutting down photosynthesis in the oceans at depths of up to 260 feet. Gamma-ray bursts are linked to mass extin...
The space between the Earth and the Moon is filled with space debris (burnt out rocket casings, broken satellites, etc.) Space debris can circle the Earth for years until it slams into something, creating yet more space debris....
A Solar storm disrupts critical systems
An intense Solar storm seriously disrupts communication networks, electronic devices, computers, power networks etc.
