Image copyright BBC/Richard Ansett Image caption Prof Hawking says: "If humanity is to continue for another million years, our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before." 
 
 Prof Stephen Hawking has called for leading nations to send astronauts to the Moon by 2020. 
 
 They should also aim to build a lunar base in 30 years' time and send people to Mars by 2025. 
 
 Prof Hawking said that the goal would re-ignite the space programme, forge new alliances and give humanity a sense of purpose. 
 
 He was speaking at the Starmus Festival celebrating science and the arts, which is being held in Trondheim, Norway. 
 
 Spreading out into space will completely change the future of humanity Prof Stephen Hawking 
 
 "Spreading out into space will completely change the future of humanity," he said. 
 
 "I hope it would unite competitive nations in a single goal, to face the common challenge for us all. 
 
 "A new and ambitious space programme would excite (young people), and stimulate interest in other areas, such as astrophysics and cosmology". 
 
 Image copyright Neil A. Armstrong Image caption Return of the Moon landings would give humanity "a sense of purpose". 
 
 He addressed the concerns of those arguing that it would be better to spend our money on solving the problems of this planet along with a pointed criticism of US President Donald Trump. 
 
 "I am not denying the importance of fighting climate change and global warming, unlike Donald Trump, who may just have taken the most serious, and wrong, decision on climate change this world has seen," he said. 
 
 Prof Hawking explained that human space travel is essential for the future of humanity precisely because the Earth was under threat from climate change as well as diminishing natural resources. 
 
 "We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth," the Cambridge University theoretical physicist explained. 
 
 Image caption The European Space Agency's vision for a Moon base 
 
 The head of the European Space Agency (Esa) Jan Woerner has said he envisages the construction of a Moon base to replace the International Space Station in 2024 and is collaborating with Russia to send a probe to assess a potential site. China has set itself the goal of sending an astronaut to the Moon. 
 
 Nasa has no plans to return to the Moon, instead focusing its efforts on sending astronauts to Mars by the 2030s. Though if other space agencies begin to collaborate on constructing a lunar base it would be hard to see Nasa not participating. 
 
 Prof Hawking said that there was no long-term future for our species staying on Earth: it would either be hit by an asteroid again or eventually engulfed by our own Sun. He added that travelling to distant worlds would "elevate humanity". 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption In this European Space Agency video Dr James Carpenter describes the landing site 
 
 "Whenever we make a great new leap, such as the Moon landings, we bring people and nations together, usher in new discoveries, and new technologies," he continued. 
 
 "To leave Earth demands a concerted global approach, everyone should join in. We need to rekindle the excitement of the early days of space travel in the sixties." 
 
 He said that the colonisation of other planets was no longer science fiction, though he did pay tribute to the genre in his closing remarks. 
 
 "If humanity is to continue for another million years, our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before. 
 
 "I hope for the best. I have to. We have no other option". 
 
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 CLOSE Stephen Hawking says human race could risk dying out if we don’t colonize a new planet. Veuer's Nick Cardona (@nickcardona93) has that story. Buzz60 
 
 British physicist Stephen Hawking was interviewed on British TV on May 30, 2016, saying U.K. should stay inside the European Union because of its support for research, and he cannot fathom the popularity of presumptive candidate for U.S. president Donald Trump. (Photo: Matt Dunham, AP) 
 
 Physicist Stephen Hawking believes time is running out for humankind on Earth, and humans should focus their efforts on exploring new worlds in order to survive. 
 
 For years, Hawking has warned that humankind faces extinction from a slew of threats ranging from climate change to destruction from nuclear war and genetically engineered viruses. Hawking recently estimated that humans have 100 years left on Earth — if we’re lucky. 
 
 During a speech at Starmus, an arts and science festival in Norway, Hawking reiterated that humanity’s future is not on the planet it has treated so poorly, BBC reported. 
 
 “If humanity is to continue another million years, our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before,” Hawking said, BBC reported. 
 
 Hawking noted that leaving Earth can not be the mission of one country, but a collective effort. 
 
 "To leave Earth demands a concerted global approach, everyone should join in,” he said. “We need to rekindle the excitement of the early days of space travel in the sixties." 
 
 He suggested the world’s nations should work together to send astronauts to the Moon by 2020 and Mars by 2025. Furthermore, there should be plans in place to build a lunar base within 30 years. 
 
 "Whenever we make a great new leap, such as the Moon landings, we bring people and nations together, usher in new discoveries, and new technologies," he said. 
 
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 And space exploration can’t stop with Mars and the Moon. Hawking noted that climate change and dwindling natural resources, make it clear a long-term colonization plan is needed. 
 
 Hawking said when humans have faced “similar crises” or lack or resources, they’ve set out to discover and colonize new parts of the world, Newsweek reported. 
 
 “Columbus did it in 1492 when he discovered the New World,” Hawking said. “But now there is no new world. No Utopia around the corner.” 
 
 Hawking noted that the path forward is clear: It’s time to get out of Dodge. 
 
 “We are running out of space, and the only places to go to are other worlds,” he said. “It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth.” 
 
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– Stephen Hawking says humans are turning into "cosmic sloths," watching the universe go by without leaving the comfort of our own home, and it's time to do something about it, the Evening Express reports. "Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves," the BBC quotes Hawking as saying during the Starmus Festival in Norway. Hawking says countries should work together to send astronauts to the moon by 2020, send astronauts to Mars by 2025, and build a moon base in the next three decades. After that, he gives humanity 200 to 500 years to travel beyond the solar system in search of a new home. “Human colonization on other planets is no longer science fiction," Hawking says. "It can be science fact." And humanity needs to figure that out sooner rather than later. Hawking has said humans only have 100 or so years left on Earth as they face extinction from climate change, nuclear war, and more, USA Today reports. In addition, the Earth is running out of both space and natural resources. Hawking says the endeavor to find a new home would "elevate humanity." "Whenever we make a great new leap, such as the Moon landings, we bring people and nations together, usher in new discoveries and new technologies," he says. The European Space Agency and Russia are working together on a plan to replace the International Space Station with a moon base in 2024. And NASA is currently focused on sending astronauts to Mars sometime in the 2030s.