As if you didn't have enough to do already, now we have to start packing for Jupiter .

Stephen Hawking  has declared what we all know is inevitable: Humankind must begin colonizing space because we are vulnerable here with no escape hatch. Not only do we face threats from within, but the threat of a cosmic accident , like a comet crashing into us, has statisticians and laypeople alike biting their nails in fear. (OK, maybe not ...)

Not to worry, citizens of Earth. Colonizing space is an old idea. Scientists and astronauts have been discussing the probable return to the moon  by U.S. flight. China is in the game  as well, and Russia was in space first . All of this because of the commercial possibilities in space —as good a reason as fear, I think, to get out there and start selling condos.

So where do we go first? Missions have been sent to various planets and beyond our solar system. And what do we need to ready ourselves for what we find? This is where disaster preparedness kits can help.

Mars has profound dust storms , so it stands to reason we need a dust storm navigation technology —the Army has it.

Venus is blanketed by greenhouse gases , so it's critical to carry our pollution survival plans .

Heavy winds on Saturn  demand the sort of wind storm preparation suggested here .

Space is not the final frontier anymore. It's the next frontier. As with everything else, just grab a flashlight and some bottled water, and you're as ready as you'll ever be.

Engage.