True, but since we have > 1 million years to go, I'd suspect (make that "dearly hope!") we'll have either died out or otherwise not consider ourselves limited to the Solar System by that point :-)
I am hoping that some form of intelligent life still exists here in a million years.
I'd like to hope that we will not be limited to the solar system too. For plans we know will work based on the physics we know now, this is it. Better a pedestrian plan that will work than a plan that hopes that fantastic technology is developed in the future.
For plans we know will work based on the physics we know now, this is it.
Not really. Physics, as we understand it, and even the technology we know will work now (e.g. ion drives) can get us to other star systems - it's just there isn't much point considering how much time it'd take and how little danger we're in right now. Dr. Pamela Gay covered this in an episode of Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/space-flight/ep-145-interstella...
That said, I always work on the theory that our current understanding of anything is extremely limited. This works on macro and micro scales, from how we understand the Internet right up to physics. What we know about almost anything now compared to 100 years ago is black and white - barring blowing each other to bits or a major catastrophe, there's no reason to believe we won't be ridiculing our pitiful 2010 level of understanding of the universe in 2110.
