Renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking says the human race is doomed, unless we figure out how to leave Earth behind in the next 1,000 years.

“We must continue to go into space for humanity,” Hawking said, during a recent speech at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “If you understand how the universe operates, you control it in a way.” He then made the dire prediction that humans would not survive another millenium “without escaping beyond our fragile planet.”

Hawking, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease and has been confined to a wheelchair for most of his life, is pretty much the smartest man on the planet. He’s literally written the book on the history of the universe and his study of black holes and quantum mechanics have revolutionized astrophysics. So he might actually know what he’s talking about.

While 1,000 years may seem like a long time, it’s really not that much when you consider that, throughout all of human history, we’ve never made it farther than the moon. Planning colonies on other planets or in outer space isn’t exactly a one-generation kind of feat. Oh, and did we mention that NASA just had their research budget for such projects cut by $300 million?

So get off the couch, slackers, and start working on how to colonize other planets. Your great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great-grandchildren will thank you.

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