alpha centauri B might harbor an earth-like planet

[Acepilotf14]

We need to dig up some kind of alien technology that jumps us ahead in tech about 7000 years.
Seriously, wouldn't that just be awesome?

 

[Ennui]

No, we need to stop worrying about technology, get our collective shit sorted out (stop murdering each other all the time, start respecting our planet and other people), THEN dig up some alien tech.

 

[Acepilotf14]

Hahahaha...
Oh wait, you're serious?
Hahahaha...

1. Kill the commies.
2. Kill the hippies.
3. Kill the fascists.
4. ????
5. Profit.

 

[The Monkey]

Universal Gray Goo.



Luna. Also, Europa != Europe. Also pie.

Also, Europe is not a country.

snip

Nice work.

1867 years isn't that long, that's just 70 generations. I think we could manage to keep 70 generations alive on a spaceship. Or we could freeze down the astronauts.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Hopefully we could cut the travel time down even more eventually. But unless Wormholes are possible (they are still controvesrial) we will never go faster than light (besides, technically wormholes aren't going FTL).

 

[kirovman]

Destroy the terreists!

 

[Eejit]

Hahahaha...
Oh wait, you're serious?
Hahahaha...

1. Kill the commies.
2. Kill the hippies.
3. Kill the fascists.
4. Kill anonymous
5. ????
6. Profit.

Fixed?

And yes, Saberhagen illustrated quite well why von Neumann probes could be a bad idea.

 

[<RJMC>]

why not made a very very very very very very very giant sign on top of the earth saying "if you can see this please respond the same way" first so we can be sure if there is intelligent live first?

 

[AKIRA]

or we can just call up Ms. Frizzle and get there in about 18 minutes..

 

[Ennui]

or we can just call up Ms. Frizzle and get there in about 18 minutes..

I fully support this theory. Someone give me a phone.

 

[theotherguy]

1867 years isn't that long, that's just 70 generations. I think we could manage to keep 70 generations alive on a spaceship. Or we could freeze down the astronauts.

Keep in mind, those calculations are for a ship the size of the space shuttle. 70 generations of people aren't going to be able to live, get food and water, and maintain the ship for 2000 years. That's like asking a bunch of people from mid Rome getting on a boat the size of a school buss and asking them to land safely in New York in 1867.

You could always add more thrusters, which would lower the time exponentially, but there is the very major problem of power and fuel. You could also increase the size of the ship and the number of thrusters until you have a reasonable amount of supplies and it takes a reasonable amount of time.

While accidentally putting an extra order of magnitude on the acceleration, I found the time to be 41 years.

So, if the engines were bout ten times as powerful, you could get there rather quickly.

 

[Baal]

You have to remember though. Earth is close enough to the sun to be warmed by it, yet far enough to not be cooked and all the water evaporated.

We're also not in an area of space where there are tons and tons of stars in close proximity, like many other areas of the Milky Way Galaxy... with stars so close that night for us now, would seem like the brightest day you have ever imagined... only brighter.

I'm sure life could exist in such an environment, but it'd be far different than what we have here on earth. Life would be completely different with eternally sunlit days.

There's a whole ton more reasons too, why earth is such a rarity so far in our search of similar planets in the galaxy.

You can't just think of the conditions of the planet itself, but also the space environment around it.

During the age of the dinosaurs, part of the reason why things were so big was because the planet was warmer. Warmer planet equals more oxygen due to flourishing vegetation and thus heightened photosynthesis, and more oxygen equals bigger things!

Think of the possibilities! A world of giants!

 

[theotherguy]

During the age of the dinosaurs, part of the reason why things were so big was because the planet was warmer. Warmer planet equals more oxygen due to flourishing vegetation and thus heightened photosynthesis, and more oxygen equals bigger things!

Think of the possibilities! A world of giants!

Yes, scientists have speculated about a world which had an extremely dense oxygen rich atmosphere. In such a world, the air would be buoyant enough to allow even the largest animals to have aerodynamic wings. They speculated that algae would become bouyant and float in the air like sea algae. They further speculated the evolution of large, whale-like flying animals that would float in the atmosphere like blimps and eat the algae.

It's really fascinating to think about what is possible for life.

 

[Baal]

Someone tell NASA to work harder.

All nighters will surely result in some sort of inter-galactic space travel in our life times...right?

Get Starbucks to sponsor their quest