Scientists spot a new Earthlike planet

[S.C. Watson]

On MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11013519/)

Soon, I tells ya! Soon! >:D

~S

[Xpose]

I'll see you guys on my new planet.

[Gnosis]

Well, it isn't exactly what I would call 'earthlike'(rather 'terrestrial'), but it's exciting nonetheless.
It gets really interesting when JPL launches the Terrestrial Planet Finder during the first half of the next decade. That space telescope will be designed specifically to find and take pictures of planets as small as(and smaller than) Earth, and with the same chemical atmospheric composition as Earth has(ozone and methane combined, something that seemingly is rare, at least in our solar system).
It will scan some 200 stars in the stellar neighbourhood, the ones that are the most likely to have other earths.

[Gnosis]

Oh, and I would like to recommend this site to anyone that's interested in the search for another Earth. Extremely interesting and informative site for space buffs such as myself: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/

[Kian]

The fact that we exist proves that theres millions of billions of aliens out there, sure it might take some time to find em. But theres no chance we're the only planet in the universe to have life. I can't wait till we find Alpha Centauri.

Plus, why the f**k have we not got a man on Mars yet?

[russell]

who knows what would be living there.


this looks like a job for... conceptart.org!!


sorry i couldnt resist:)

[Elwell]

Why is it always "Earthlike" and not the far more likely "Marslike" or "Venuslike"?

[S.C. Watson]

The fact that we exist proves that theres millions of billions of aliens out there, sure it might take some time to find em. But theres no chance we're the only planet in the universe to have life. I can't wait till we find Alpha Centauri.

Plus, why the f**k have we not got a man on Mars yet?
Well, I don't *quite* agree with you on that point, but I understand what you're saying - I tend to rationalize the same way.

However, until we do find "millions of billions of aliens" out there, we are, for all intents and purposes, the *only* sentient techological species in the universe. As far as we can tell.

However, check out the Drake equation. It's an interesting little piece of math that predicts how many worlds have life, and of those, how many would have intelligent life, plus not blow themselves up in the process of developing their technology at any given era of the universe. It's kind of fun to play with.

All that said, there always has to be a first. As much as it bothers me, there is always the possibility that we *are* the first technological species in the galaxy. Unlikely, but possible.

Take it one step further, and there is the possibility that ours is the only world on which life ever developed. Again, unlikely, but a disturbing possibility.

Ah, the fun of pointless conjecture :wink:

And, the reason we don't have people on Mars yet is a combination of two elements: politics and priorities, which create a vacuum of financial support and interest from our illustrious leaders :nohope:

~Oreg.

[S.C. Watson]

Why is it always "Earthlike" and not the far more likely "Marslike" or "Venuslike"?
But! But! it's not as sensational! :perv:

[K-17]

Sending people off to space takes money. It's an exciting prospect but we got people starving down here.

[S.C. Watson]

Sending people off to space takes money. It's an exciting prospect but we got people starving down here.
Yup. That's why we're waging a war at over a billion dollars a day. It's all about the priorities...

[dfacto]

Why is it always "Earthlike" and not the far more likely "Marslike" or "Venuslike"?

Because we have giant egos.

Sending people off to space takes money. It's an exciting prospect but we got people starving down here.

Well, let me check... yup, yup, they're still starving. And all of this after years and years of "save the children" and the like.

Guess what, they'll always be starving because we quite obviously stink at "humanitarian" aid. If we're going to waste money, then at least lets do it in the direction that may eventually save our asses when we realize that we fucked the planet up the ass.

No offense to the starving people, but saving them isn't going to accomplish anything at all, aside from a few fuzzy feelings here and there. People have been starving for millenia, and we're still plugging along just fine.

[Phaethon]

What we need is less exploration and more colonization. The Spanish didn't discover America and then say "All right, now we know that's there, is there anything else?" they said "Let's send our guys over there ASAP"! There's this myth, I think, propegated by science-fiction, that the space age is just sort of going to happen all by itself.

I'd like to think space colonization would give people the sort of perspective that could sort our priorities out. A pipe dream, but there it is.

[0kelvin]

We need more eccentric billionaires that keep mad scientists in their basements building rocket ships. Those are the guys that are going to drive space travel.

At this rate, Google will land a man on Mars before NASA does.



0kelvin

[K-17]

Guess what, they'll always be starving because we quite obviously stink at "humanitarian" aid. If we're going to waste money, then at least lets do it in the direction that may eventually save our asses when we realize that we fucked the planet up the ass.

No offense to the starving people, but saving them isn't going to accomplish anything at all, aside from a few fuzzy feelings here and there. People have been starving for millenia, and we're still plugging along just fine.

It's a pretty relative concept no matter how you look at it. I'm not starving, and i'd say you're probably not either, but i'm pretty sure my views on the matter wouldn't be the same if i were, for better or worse. I'd say reasoning and rethoric would pretty much go out the window if i felt like one of those skeleton kids with inflated stomachs must feel like. In either case, there are about 2 billion people living in developed countries and some 6 billion or so in the third world coutries, i think. That makes it 3 to 1, meaning we're the exception here, not the rule. This is anything but an isolated matter, or someting that's happening over in the corner far away. And as i said starvation, i could've easily said any other topic.

We're probably about centuries away from being able to travel to another solar system, let alone terraform a planet. I wouldn't expect it to happen any time soon this millenium, and i wouldn't really count it as a way to help mankind get off this hole a handful of greedy people dug for us.

Way i see it, it's when people start thinking about growing wings before they can even stand that shit really starts to fly.

[Kian]

Yup. That's why we're waging a war at over a billion dollars a day. It's all about the priorities...

:bow: Amen bro

[staylor]

It's a pretty relative concept no matter how you look at it. I'm not starving, and i'd say you're probably not either, but i'm pretty sure my views on the matter wouldn't be the same if i were, for better or worse. I'd say reasoning and rethoric would pretty much go out the window if i felt like one of those skeleton kids with inflated stomachs must feel like. In either case, there are about 2 billion people living in developed countries and some 6 billion or so in the third world coutries, i think. That makes it 3 to 1, meaning we're the exception here, not the rule. This is anything but an isolated matter, or someting that's happening over in the corner far away. And as i said starvation, i could've easily said any other topic.

We're probably about centuries away from being able to travel to another solar system, let alone terraform a planet. I wouldn't expect it to happen any time soon this millenium, and i wouldn't really count it as a way to help mankind get off this hole a handful of greedy people dug for us.

Way i see it, it's when people start thinking about growing wings before they can even stand that shit really starts to fly.

True, but what of the satellites that help us predict hurricanes and droughts? How about the fact that NASA images of the gaping hole in the ozone layer was the only thing that helped end the use of CFC's? How about the potential advances in seeing how proteins fold in space, allowing us to finally understand how they work. And let's not forget that when a giant rock comes out of the sky only space travel technology can save us. I can even go on with more examples of how space exploration is beneficial.

We can feed the starving, it's just politics that get in the way. There's more than enough food in the world. Most of the food and aid goes to corrupt leaders. And if we were serious about spending more money on aid we wouldn't waste money on wars and renaming french fries to freedon fries.

NASA actually has helped humanity, and the claim that cutting funding would somehow help the planet is completely unfounded.

[Blue]

On MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11013519/)

Soon, I tells ya! Soon! >:D

~S
still the problem of getting there. 28,000 light years is a long time. =P



And since when did we get the ultimate perfection in art, in smiley form? --> :lens:

[Dizon]

Why is it always "Earthlike" and not the far more likely "Marslike" or "Venuslike"?


Probably cuz we're more interested in "Earthlike".

[dogfood]

Actually, according to most sources, the world's population is just over 6.5 billion. If developed countries number 2 of those, then it's closer to 2 to 1. Not that any of that matters. It's only been getting better for the less developed countries. It may not seem like it, but that's only because we know more now. Anyone pining for "the good ol' days" pines only for ignorance.

Elwell's rhetorical point is well-founded. Right now, this new planet ("Dogfoodia") and Mars are of equivalent practical distances and conditions, in regard to human habitation. Anything having to do with extra-terrestrial business requires buzz in order to secure funding. The limited resources are being pulled in so many directions, that only through fear (this planet: not going to be habitable in 200 years, so everyone needs to get out of the pool) or fascination (Hey, look! Aliens! Let's go breed with them!) can money be had for vaguely worthwhile space endeavors. We can't get the real meat going (colonization), because of the chaos and strife of daily living. We're not good at living for the future; humans just haven't made that stretch as a race.

Holy crap! This is a diatribe.


Boobs.