[Huebolt]

Hawking was among the very first to describe the characteristics of black holes. That alone is all needed to make him an icon. Hawking radiation etc.

With the universe as old as it is (13.75 ±0.17 billion years old), were star-travel possible, it would have been done ten thousand times, or so, by now in our galaxy alone. It hasn't, so it won't. (Implies it CAN'T...)

The election of obama indicates all high tech civilizations are suicidal.

[Windflier]

Hawking was among the very first to describe the characteristics of black holes. That alone is all needed to make him an icon.

Fair enough, but I wonder if his theories about black holes have ever been proven? If he's responsible for an honest breakthrough in that area, then he deserves the accolades for it.

With the universe as old as it is (13.75 ±0.17 billion years old), were star-travel possible, it would have been done ten thousand times, or so, by now in our galaxy alone. It hasn't, so it won't.

Ah...but you're proceeding from the postulate that "it's never been done", which you cannot prove. Many believe that it has, and that star travel has been going on for millions of years throughout the cosmos.

Neither one of those propositions can be proven conclusively at present, so we're left with the lingering question, aren't we?

[Erasmus]

The average duration that a civilization can radiate electromagnetic radiation that is detectable at interstellar distances is factor L in the Drake Equation.

This is one factor where we are likely to accumulate at least one solid data point. How soon we will have it is an interesting speculation.