NASA/Space thread

[PilotMan]

Here's what gets me. We have intelligent life on this planet (whales, dolphins, elephants) and not only do we not make much of an attempt to understand or communicate with them, we look down on them as much less than they really are. What makes anyone think that we would have any success at figuring out something not from this world?

[NobodyHere]

I'm in the camp that if there is intelligent life then I hope we never meet them lest be walk into a 'To Serve Man' situation.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Here's what gets me. We have intelligent life on this planet (whales, dolphins, elephants) and not only do we not make much of an attempt to understand or communicate with them, we look down on them as much less than they really are. What makes anyone think that we would have any success at figuring out something not from this world?

Hey, we just taught some rats how do drive cars. Isn't that enough?

Rats taught to drive tiny cars to lower their stress levels - BBC News

[PilotMan]

It's not really the same as two way communication.

[NobodyHere]

Well we do need to communicate with whales, Star Trek has taught us that much at least.

But what kind of conversations do you expect to have with a Dolphin or an Elephant?

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Well we do need to communicate with whales, Star Trek has taught us that much at least.

But what kind of conversations do you expect to have with a Dolphin or an Elephant?

I would think any sort of higher lever communication might, at the very least, give me optimism that we might be able to do the same with aliens.

We know elephants have a very sophisticated social and emotional system, learning how to communicate that, on their level, using their methods seems like a place to start.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Kodos

There's probably other intelligent life out there, but the space between us makes it hard/impossible for them to come to us.

Timing also. They may have existed 50,000 years ago just like us but died off 40,000 years ago. Millienia is nothing in the age of the universe.

[cartman]

And in with the timing thing, it has been less than 200 years since radio was discovered on this planet.

[NobodyHere]

[Thomkal]

cool

[Edward64]

In playing Stellaris, you are essentially roleplaying and trying to conquer a galaxy. There are M/Billions of galaxies in the Universe (great DLC expansion if we can do multiple galaxies) and a random question came up -- are there stars/solar systems between galaxies just floating around intergalactic space.

Apparently there are:

Lost in Space: Half of All Stars Drifting Free of Galaxies | Space

Instead, this finding of bright, blue light unexpectedly reveals these fluctuations may come from something called "intrahalo light," which is created by stars flung into intergalactic space during titanic collisions and mergers of galaxies. The researchers found that there was as much light from these intergalactic stars as there was from stars located in galaxies.

Then the next follow-up question is ... are those orphaned stars like solar systems and still have planets going around it? My guess is, in some cases, yes (but have not been able to find anything that specifically addresses planets)

[NobodyHere]

Uranus has started leaking gas, NASA scientists confirm

I didn't need a scientist to tell me that.

[Edward64]

Okay, so there is water on the moon.

Let's go find those bugs!

[Edward64]

SpaceX launch happening today. Cool stuff.

In the middle of watching Disney's The Right Stuff. It's kinda amazing to me that the US is the only country that had men on the moon vs landers/orbits so far. I do wonder if that is because of the technical challenges or other countries just don't consider it worthwhile. You would think China and USSR had the skill.

[Edward64]

Cool lift-off. T+5 min now on CNN.

Didn't see much other than engine burn (sun had set in FL). Go Elon!

[Brian Swartz]

I think the answer to your question is it's not worth it. Being able to have launch/production facilities on the moon, asteroid mining, etc. will change things eventually but we're still a ways away from that. Just too expensive to get large payloads to orbit and beyond without a really good reason to do so.

[Edward64]

Almost ... but still impressive IMO. Check out the video.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/09/spac...t-flight-.html