Interstellar Travel: Can We Survive the Long Journey? (Narration Only)
Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur
Isaac Arthur
4.8 • 739 Ratings
🗓️ 12 June 2025
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Interstellar travel may one day take us to the stars, but surviving the journey could be the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. In this episode, we explore the physical, psychological, and societal trials of a voyage that could span centuries—or forever.
Watch my exclusive video Fishbowl Starships - Water As Shielding - https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-fishbowl-starships-water-as-shielding
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Get a Lifetime Membership to Nebula for only $300: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=isaacarthur
Use the link gift.nebula.tv/isaacarthur to give a year of Nebula to a friend for just $30.
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
Interstellar Travel: Can We Survive The Long Journey?
Episode 724; June 12, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Graphics:
Bryan Versteeg
Jarred Eagley
Jeremy Jozwik
Melanvois
Udo Schroeter
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Chris Zabriskie, "Unfoldment, Revealment", "A New Day in a New Sector", "Oxygen Garden", "Wonder Cycle"
Stellardrone, "Red Giant", "Billions and Billions"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, SFIA audio listeners. |
| 0:02.5 | In this month's Nebula exclusive, big alien theory, |
| 0:05.2 | we're asked at the reason alien civilizations might be rare |
| 0:08.0 | is because most aliens are huge. |
| 0:10.5 | To hear it and every episode early and ad-free, |
| 0:13.3 | plus hours of bonus content, |
| 0:15.1 | check out go.nebola.tv slash Isaac Arthur, |
| 0:17.6 | and use my code, Isaac Arthur. |
| 0:20.9 | The stars may call to us, but answering that call could mean leaving everything we know behind, |
| 0:27.8 | perhaps forever. |
| 0:31.6 | Interstellar travel has long been a dream of humanity, but between us and the stars lies a brutal |
| 0:37.1 | reality, space is vast, hostile, |
| 0:40.3 | and unyielding. Unlike short giants to the moon, or even multi-year missions to Mars, |
| 0:46.3 | an interstellar voyage isn't just a test of technology, it's a test of endurance, adaptation, |
| 0:52.3 | and survival itself. The cosmos don't care if we make it, |
| 0:57.5 | but history shows that we never let that stop us. In past episodes, we've explored the |
| 1:03.3 | technical feasibility of star travel, from generation ships that carry entire civilizations |
| 1:08.7 | through the void, to sleeper ships that put their passengers |
| 1:12.1 | into deep hibernation. We've examined the concept of world ships, vast space-faring megacities |
| 1:19.0 | that could sustain life for many millennia, and the challenges of interstellar colonization, |
| 1:24.1 | where humanity must not only reach a distant star, but build a future upon arrival. |
| 1:29.9 | Each of these approaches presents its own unique challenges, but none of them fully answer |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 24 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Isaac Arthur, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Isaac Arthur and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.