This video is one of my favorites. It shows the relative size and distance between planets in a functional way.
On the subject of the future though, I feel we are primed for a new revolution. The discovery of fossil fuels catapulted human civilization to industry. The discovery of the transistor and silicone based microchips have taken us to even greater heights. The problem with both of these though, is neither of them address the main limitation that binds our progress as a planet.
That is the creation and storage of energy. The unfathomable amount of energy found in even one atom dwarfs our entire electrical output as it currently sits. This is combined with the rather pitiful ability we have to store energy. Yes, we have enough energy to supply our devices. The big stuff though, the stuff that we are currently theorizing about, requires far more energy and energy storage to even properly test.
We need to find a way of generating exponentially more energy than we can with fossil fuels (which is still our main source of power). To do that, we just need to unlock the power that is hidden just out of our current reach. Once we do, we can finally take the next step in our technological evolution. We will finally have the energy resources to begin practically testing the limits of our current theories. It will usher in a new era of technology as drastic as those generated by fossil fuels and silicone microchips.
To that end, our current potential successes in hydrogen fusion are promising. It may not be the destination, but it is a major step in the right direction.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPpYQFtyO98