Nasa’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (Tess) recently discovered an Earth-sized world that may have liquid water in it orbiting around a star.

In an era some are calling the “Anthropocene,” marked by significant human impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems, mankind may be facing an imminent decision about the future of this blue marble. Global warming, exhaustion of natural resources and worldwide pollution may be spelling out an inconvenient truth necessitating interstellar travel for solutions.