Will a spacecraft reach TRAPPIST-1?
It's hard to answer the question, as it's theoretical at the moment. TRAPPIST-1, a dwarf star, contains a Sun and seven planets close to each other. Three of those planets have Earth-like features, which raises the suspicion of alien life. It will take 93 lights years to travel from the Earth to TRAPPIST-1.
In theory, 93 light years can be equivalent to 93 Earth years. A light year is more of distance than time, though. It will be better to skip the math, as a good estimate will give you an idea of the length of travel. The crew might not live to see it unless you'll recall your favorite science fiction films. They must be put to sleep if there won't be any time travel of any kind. (Think about Flash Gordon.) If it's reminiscent of a "Star Wars" scene, then space travel won't take a week at the most. Let's not get to the part where overpopulation will prompt world leaders to send a human colony over there. It may happen someday, though.
This is hardly news, as tens of science-fiction novelists penned tales of a human colony in distant stars, if not a contact between humans and extraterrestrial life forms. Let's not forget a Pierre Boulle book where the Earthlings are all over the universe except Earth. It will be a reality including robots (or humanoid robots) replacing human labor in the job market. Here are other possibilities:
Can an alien race make contact with the human race? Arthur C. Clarke described such a scene in "2001: A Space Odyssey", where a tribe of ape-men encountered a black monolith. Something awakened within them, as the sight prompted them to use bones as weapons. The monolith didn't come into existence by accident, even shaped by the elements for centuries. The unlikeliest reason could be the most probable scenario, which would make you wonder if there were other incidents of such kind. No one would really know. There's the fear of the unknown, if not something incomprehensible by nature. But Clarke didn't imagine such scenario.
Is it possible for a human colony to exist on other planets? There's already talk about one in Mars. The planets and satellites beyond the asteroids will be a different matter, though. (Light can travel from Earth to Jupiter in less than an hour, but it would take the Galileo spacecraft six years to navigate the same distance.) Many things will come into the equation, such as overpopulation, funds (or the lack of), and curiosity. It can lead to an extreme scenario when the planet is no longer habitable to the majority of the human populace. If it doesn't make sense, then it's due to lack of details. It's not hard to imagine the outcome, though.
How about an alien life form on Earth? It will be ridiculous to discount it, as science don't have all the answers to anything, everything. Let's not get too far (and think about conspiracy theory). This is not an episode from "The X-Files", but you'll never know.
