The Space Thread: Diablo's Home Planet Found

[TIMELESS]

"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." - Arthur C. Clarke

 

What do you think is out there? Do you believe that we'll ever find proof of alien life? Do you think WE are the alien life, sent to this planet? Or do you believe we are alone, and exist purely by chance?

 

Us nosey humans have been exploring space one way or another for a while now, but we haven't gotten very far compared to the actual size of the universe, or even the galaxy, or even the solar system in which we live in. Our next target, which we seem to have the technical capacity of reaching, is Mars. As you probably know we already have a few rovers on the surface of Mars, collecting data, and trying not to get stuck in the sand like that other muppet-rover did.

 

If you're curious, below you'll find examples of the leading manned Mars missions scheduled for the very near future.

 

Mars One

From April to August 2013 anyone over the age of 18 was eligible to apply to be an astronaut on the Mars One mission by applying online. Applicants will be narrowed down by a series of interviews and tests until, in July 2015, 6 teams of 4 will be chosen for the mission. In 2017 an unmanned lander will be sent to Mars, arriving in 2018. If things go according to their April 2013 schedule the first team of 4 astronauts will be sent on a 7 month long journey to arrive on Mars in 2025, with the remaining teams arriving every 2 years, with a total of 24 people living and working on Mars by 2035. And in case you were wondering.. it's intended to be a one way trip.

 

 

Inspiration Mars

In 2018, the planets will literally align to allow the Inspiration Mars Foundation to send a team of 1 man and 1 woman (a married couple) on a low-fuel mission to and from Mars (within 100 miles, no actual surface landing). The alignment of the planets will allow them to do this in only 501 days. The opportunity for this direct and "free-return" mission only comes around once every 15 years. If IMF are unable to meet the 2018 deadline they will have to settle for "Plan B", sending the team on a similar trip in 2021 which will be 88 days longer and will involve a fly-by of Venus as well, to use its gravity to slingshot the craft towards Mars. The fly-by of Venus is a definite advantage for the for the 2021 "Plan B" mission, however the advantages of the 2018 mission include lower risk due to less manoeuvring and the coinciding of the 11 year solar minimum, which means the lowest solar radiation, which the 2021 and subsequent missions wouldn't have.

 

 

The ESA, NASA and Russia are also involved in manned Mars missions, however the deadlines are further into the future, or in the case of Russia's are lacking in publicly known details - though they have stated the estimated launch date is between 2016 and 2020.

[CLR-GTR]

We've only discovered such a small section of universe that we shouldn't even consider it an achievement, yet we keep finding new planets, new planetary systems and even systems with planets within the habitable zone of their stars. If there's ice, there's water, so the planets that actually can support life are there. I go the step further like many and say we can't be alone. We can't be the only living things, Earth can't be the only planet containing life. Also what is difficult for some is to understand life like we don't expect it, living in places where we don't expect it. Think of deap see stuff, living near all those thermal vents, with no light. It shows life can exist nearly everywhere.

 

I hope I'll witness the first humans on Mars and with all those studies and concepts out there under investigation it surely must happen within some decades.

 

 

Here's something to watch for y'all. Practically not possible, considering Roche limits, emission of radiation and what not, but kinda cool to imagine.

Watch them full-screen, the actual stuff it's about is good quality so ignore the low quality intro animations.

 

Not typing these with youtube tags on purpose, get surprised :p

[TIMELESS]

Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs theories, and I certainly won't criticize them. But in my opinion, I think it's most logical that in a world of this scale*, we can't be alone. Never mind the possible communications that have been made with us or anything like that, just simply the scale. It's like, if you have an ocean that's 500 miles cubed in size, chances are you're going to find a fish, right?

 

*Scale:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IVqMXPFYwI

[Milli]

 

:lol: :run:

[The Compensator]

I'm with you, Milli.

 

[CLR-GTR]

Another one for scale: UY Scuti, largest star in the universe. If placed on the position of the sun, Saturn would be under its surface...:ill: As for our own sun btw, commonly accepted way it will die says it will grow up to Mars' orbit.

 

 

[Milli]

 

#ifeelsmart

[TIMELESS]

Great video Milli.

 

At 6:00 he explains the "free return" trajectory that I mentioned in the OP, the Inspiration Mars mission plans to use this effect.

[Milli]

Well, they would be dumb to not use it. It saves fuel and a lot of effort on to turn the "spaceship" around... Though it takes a lot, really a lot of calculations to achieve such thing.

[hassan1995]

Each to their own belief but you'd be pretty silly if you though we're the only ones in the universe and oblivious to the scale which is currently expanding, factor in how much we as humans know about space and the size, it seems illogical to think we are the only people in the universe look at the size of the earth do you really think we're the only ones around, I mean compare the earth to the sun and then compare the sun to a larger star the scale is monumental, hell we're still discovering species in the ocean and thats on our own planet! Now you tell me we're alone in this universe.

[CarMadMike]

I suppose it's on the Space theme, has anyone seen Interstellar yet? What did they think of the physics and space side of it all.

[CLR-GTR]

I haven't seen it yet but it's on my list to see it, just like Gravity.

 

I háve seen Moon (2009), Love (2011) and Europa Report. Imo great movies with space as setting but very different stories.

[TIMELESS]

I suppose it's on the Space theme, has anyone seen Interstellar yet? What did they think of the physics and space side of it all.

 

If ya'll who have seen it could use spoiler tags I'd appreciate it.

[CarMadMike]

Have any of y'all seen Professor Brian Cox's BBC2 show that was on recently regarding space?

 

I'm interested to know if it's worth watching as I'm not that big a fan of him.

[TIMELESS]

Have any of y'all seen Professor Brian Cox's BBC2 show that was on recently regarding space?

 

I'm interested to know if it's worth watching as I'm not that big a fan of him.

 

I haven't, though I do remember seeing a few episodes of a program he did a while ago and it was excellent to watch. He explains things really well and IIRC it was pretty visually stunning. So I'd say it'd make a good watch.. *opens iPlayer*

[Eudemon]

Brian Cox's shows are good in that they are informative but also are so well explained and demonstrated that what he is showing is simple to grasp. As for whether we are alone in this universe, I can't see how we can be, will we ever find out though? Well that's the question as despite all the sci-fi and fiction about space travel the vast size and distances in space are just to - forgive the pun - astronomical to even comprehend and the only way we could actually start thinking of exploring is with some truly new undiscovered physics defying engine making travel both fast and safe for humans. Even when scientists ponder believable possibilities the safety factor is usually the limiting one.

 

Saying this though, if we went back 100 years and showed where we are now they would probably think the impossible had been achieved so who knows where we will be in the year 2114.

 

There is also a very good but also depressing belief that the alien life we will encounter will be robotic sent out by an alien species due to the fact that space travel in a galaxy-hopping deep space exploration method is truly impossible and only self-sufficient AI would be able to actually do it.

[TIMELESS]

There is also a very good but also depressing belief that the alien life we will encounter will be robotic sent out by an alien species due to the fact that space travel in a galaxy-hopping deep space exploration method is truly impossible and only self-sufficient AI would be able to actually do it.

 

Wow, that's a really interesting point. I've never heard anyone theorise this before :hmmm: It's not entirely depressing though, if that happened it would confirm another intelligent life form, and possibly give us a way to communicate. Even if there was no way to transmit messages back, but only to send a message with said AI would be worth it. You just never know the possibilities.

 

 

On another note, have you ever read about the "Wow!" signal?

 

Scientists say that if the signal came from extraterrestrials, they are likely to be an extremely advanced civilization, as the signal would have required a 2.2-gigawatt (2,200,000 kW) transmitter, vastly more powerful than any on Earth:[13] the Earth transmitters with the highest power are the Taldom transmitter at 2500 kW in long wave and the Bolshakovo transmitter at 2500 kW in medium wave.

[CLR-GTR]

There is also a very good but also depressing belief that the alien life we will encounter will be robotic sent out by an alien species due to the fact that space travel in a galaxy-hopping deep space exploration method is truly impossible and only self-sufficient AI would be able to actually do it.

 

- The exoplanet (planet outside solar system) sofar considered the best one to harbour life is 23,6 lightyears away.

- There are around 26 known planets within habitable zones around their star, and roughly under 50 lightyears away.

- NASA is investigating warp-drive technology that, in theory, allows for faster than light travel. Prototypes are already built for laboratory testing to see if the theory can work, be it on a millionth scale.

- NASA is researching and experimenting a form of cryostasis for crew on board a space ship. It would be a more extreme form of "therapeutic torpor" and would allow for ships with a small crew, low amounts of food, low and little comfort and more room for payload. First tests with 1 week ''sleeps'' have been promising, but it still requires some time and a lot of work to get it done.

 

 

Nothing, is impossible.

[TIMELESS]

An interesting read here: 8.8 billion habitable Earth-size planets exist in Milky Way alone - NBC News

 

A habitable planet may only be 12 light years away. However, based on the speed of Apollo 11, it would take 291,666,667 years. And this sounds like a problem. Back to the drawing board until we can get those^ warp-drive engines going. :lol: I think if we but Japan's best scientists and mathematicians in a room with Steven Hawking for a year it'll get sorted. :hmmm:

[GTAMADDOG]

The Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula are probably my favourite area of space currently (have been for a while).

 

 

There is a tower of gas in the Eagle Nebula which is 9.5 light years long, it just boggles my mind when I try and comprehend the size of that.

 

I'm firmly in the camp that there must be something/someone else out there somewhere when you take in to account that the Eagle Nebula is one (extremely) tiny part of the universe in the scheme of things. That 'something' might be so far away that we'll never see it, but it's out there.

[Ryzza5]

[CarMadMike]

Spaaace - YouTube[/url]

 

The 'The End' comment made me laugh :lol:

[Ryzza5]

So do angels count as aliens? :phil:

[TIMELESS]

So do angels count as aliens? :phil:

 

For all we know bananas are the true aliens :btup

[Ryzza5]

Only if you've never seen one I guess (keyword is foreign)