To boldly go where no telescope has gone before.

[Wes]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/311285

Basically to sum it up, these guys are using new technology to discover if there are other planets in our galaxy that support life. You may have heard it all before, but with our technology in the past, we've only been able to examine stars and not the planets that are orbiting them. Simply because the solar systems are so far away that it's impossible to see the planets.

But now they've found a way to discover what's orbiting the stars and if these planets are in the "safe zone". The safe zone is a planet that is at the same distance from the star as ours. Not to close that we'll all fry, and not too far that we'll all freeze. Like the third bowl of porridge, we're juuuuust right. If a planet is in the safe zone, it may not have life on it, but it may very well be able to support life.

If you like that NASA science stuff, it's a cool video to watch.

 

[DocMoc]

Re: To bodly go where not telescope has gone before.

But now they've found a way to discover what's orbiting the stars and if these planets are in the "safe zone". The safe zone is a planet that is at the same distance from the star as ours. Not to close that we'll all fry, and not too far that we'll all freeze. Like the third bowl of porridge, we're juuuuust right.

Or affectionately called the "Goldilocks" zone for just that reason.

Very interesting stuff. Now we just need to crack FTL travel and the galaxy will be ours!

 

[Bretimus_v2]

I read that "to bodily go where no telesope has gone before" and decided that I would never borrow your telescope.

I think it will be cool to have an opportunity to look at the planets outside our system. Hopefully something comes from this that is more than just cool pictures.

 

[cyberjim2000]

You think there's sentient life out there wondering the same thing, making the same discoveries?

 

[CaptainPicard]

im really not all that stoked about pictures. I want to see more manned space flights, exploration and such. Im a huge sci-fi fan, and all those dreams just seem to have been shit on since we've decided its too expensive to go to the moon or mars.

I dont even feel like doing the searching right now but im pretty sure that theres only a handful of people out there that are actually looking at ways to make spaceflight more feasible. That dude from virgin moblie being one of em i suppose, i remember hearing about him trying to grant money to anyone with a good idea on how to blast suff up there.

Hollywood figured we would be in flying cars n shit right now...i dont think they were too wrong to assume it. We are way off course at the least.

 

[intoTheRain]

im really not all that stoked about pictures. I want to see more manned space flights, exploration and such. Im a huge sci-fi fan, and all those dreams just seem to have been s*** on since we've decided its too expensive to go to the moon or mars.

There is NO point in going to Mars or the Moon anymore. Do you understand the technology we need to make spaceflight REMOTELY beneficial? Even if we could travel at the speed of light it would take thousands of years at that constant speed to see ANYTHING. It IS unrealistic, and a waste of money, and will be for hundreds of years. A bad ass telescope is the best chance we have at this time in discovering anything.

Read Hyperspace by Michio Kaku, THAT'S what we need to work on before we waste hundreds more billions of dollars on retarded pointless trips to the moon. Try working on the economy instead.

And I know before anyone chimes in if we could travel light speed for any period of time we could see a lot more, but to REALLY accomplish anything in space we have to figure out how to travel faster than light speed, aka. wormholes.

While you're at it, read Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku as well. It will blow your mind and is the best book I've read in ages.

I'm obsessed with space, and incredibly frustrated to know there will never be any big discoveries in my lifetime as we simply won't have the technology. But I also know the majority of the money NASA was and is blowing is a GIANT waste of cash. And am glad spending got cut.

 

[Affen]

I hope they would find some life out there on my lifetime. It would make this world feel a bit more magical again. I was born too late/soon to discover new continents/planets.

sigh..

 

[Eyebrowsbv31]

I hope they would find some life out there on my lifetime. It would make this world feel a bit more magical again. I was born too late/soon to discover new continents/planets.

sigh..

Space Scurvy sounds wicked. being an explorer isn't what it's cracked up to be.

 

[intoTheRain]

I hope they would find some life out there on my lifetime. It would make this world feel a bit more magical again. I was born too late/soon to discover new continents/planets.

sigh..

i can see us discovering life on another planet in our generation.. but nothing beyond very basic organisms.

unless something visits us.

life exists on other planets broski, don't worry, don't lose that magical feeling. to think there are other planets in our own solar system that could be capable of harboring life, and then look at the size of the galaxy.. you'd have to be retarded to believe life doesn't exist elsewhere.

maybe we'll figure out how to move the speed of light soon and we'll be able to travel to Gliese 581c in our lifetime and find our own Pandora. but i have my doubts xD

now we COULD develop some sort of super badass telescope and see that planet up close in our lifetime.. maybe xD

 

[Affen]

being an explorer isn't what it's cracked up to be.

I know, I know. Still, dying because of some exotic rectal slug, just after you have found remains of an ancient reptile worshipping culture is totally worth it.

Exploring space with those long distances and tight spaceships is a whole different thing. Why can't space exploring be more like this:

 

[Affen]

i can see us discovering life on another planet in our generation.. but nothing beyond very basic organisms.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure they'll present some cool alien bacteria someday during my lifetime.

edit: God damn. I meant to edit this into my previous post.

 

[NickKmet]

Do you understand the technology we need to make spaceflight REMOTELY beneficial? Even if we could travel at the speed of light it would take thousands of years at that constant speed to see ANYTHING. It IS unrealistic, and a waste of money, and will be for hundreds of years. A bad ass telescope is the best chance we have at this time in discovering anything.

The problem with this mindset is that if we never spend the money working on technology now, we'll never create the necessary technology that is theorized. That stuff doesn't come out of nowhere, and since it has little application (at first) beyond exploration, and is likely to be prohibitively expensive for private industry to make it profitable, development has to be done by the government, and has to be ongoing. There currently is absolutely no monetary incentive to develop a FTL propulsion system, or do the work that will lead to an FTL system. The government has to do it, and start now, or it'll take us far longer than it ever should in the first place.

That doesn't mean it has to be a priority of ours by any means, but cutting it out completely relegates it to the "it will never happen" pile with almost certainty.

 

[intoTheRain]

Do you understand the technology we need to make spaceflight REMOTELY beneficial? Even if we could travel at the speed of light it would take thousands of years at that constant speed to see ANYTHING. It IS unrealistic, and a waste of money, and will be for hundreds of years. A bad ass telescope is the best chance we have at this time in discovering anything.

The problem with this mindset is that if we never spend the money working on technology now, we'll never create the necessary technology that is theorized. That stuff doesn't come out of nowhere, and since it has little application (at first) beyond exploration, and is likely to be prohibitively expensive for private industry to make it profitable, development has to be done by the government, and has to be ongoing. There currently is absolutely no monetary incentive to develop a FTL propulsion system, or do the work that will lead to an FTL system. The government has to do it, and start now, or it'll take us far longer than it ever should in the first place.

That doesn't mean it has to be a priority of ours by any means, but cutting it out completely relegates it to the "it will never happen" pile with almost certainty.

the space shuttle program was scrapped for good reason. they now have to develop something new. it was a good move. i'm not saying we should put a halt on what we're doing, i'm saying rather than do the same shit over and over we should do all we can to move forward. not keep sending the same shuttle into space to accomplish next to nothing. they're forced to come up with a new, faster, more efficient, etc. etc. space craft now.

a lot of what was going on was a GINORMOUS waste of money. and still is. nothing has been slowed down from this cut back, it's only being propelled forward imo.

as long as there is research going on, nothing will slow down. sending space shuttle after space shuttle into space is not going to speed anything up.

and lets be honest.. as great as aliens and pretty planets are.. getting your economy out of the toilet is far more important. not that I think the states will do anything about it until the Chinese threaten to eat all your dogs unless you smarten up.

and this is coming from a guy who finds NOTHING in my life more fascinating than the thought of life on other planets, and just the galaxy in general.

 

[NickKmet]

the space shuttle program was scrapped for good reason. they now have to develop something new. it was a good move. i'm not saying we should put a halt on what we're doing, i'm saying rather than do the same s*** over and over we should do all we can to move forward. not keep sending the same shuttle into space to accomplish next to nothing. they're forced to come up with a new, faster, more efficient, etc. etc. space craft now.

a lot of what was going on was a GINORMOUS waste of money. and still is. nothing has been slowed down from this cut back, it's only being propelled forward imo.

as long as there is research going on, nothing will slow down. sending space shuttle after space shuttle into space is not going to speed anything up.

Ah, I was under the impression that you seemed to think that manned space flight was completely worthless/pointless to invest in.

 

[LinksOcarina]

We are still years away from commercial space travel and colonization, but when it does happen, oh man will it be awesome...

I am glad our tech is allowing us to go further and further each time.

 

[intoTheRain]

the space shuttle program was scrapped for good reason. they now have to develop something new. it was a good move. i'm not saying we should put a halt on what we're doing, i'm saying rather than do the same s*** over and over we should do all we can to move forward. not keep sending the same shuttle into space to accomplish next to nothing. they're forced to come up with a new, faster, more efficient, etc. etc. space craft now.

a lot of what was going on was a GINORMOUS waste of money. and still is. nothing has been slowed down from this cut back, it's only being propelled forward imo.

as long as there is research going on, nothing will slow down. sending space shuttle after space shuttle into space is not going to speed anything up.

Ah, I was under the impression that you seemed to think that manned space flight was completely worthless/pointless to invest in.

naw but its entirely possible i made it come across that way. my posts are me thinking on the fly and often end up a jumbled mess

We are still hundreds of years away from commercial space travel and colonization, but when it does happen, oh man will it be awesome...

I am glad our tech is allowing us to go further and further each time.

fixed, unfortunately

we could potentially start moving people onto the moon within 100 years, or mars. but definitely nothing beyond our solar system for hundreds.

 

[daverabbit]

I'm fascinated by space stuff yet at the same time completely avoid it because delving into it will make me feel so small and insignificant that I'll become super depressed and drink myself into a coma.

 

[DocMoc]

life exists on other planets broski, don't worry, don't lose that magical feeling. to think there are other planets in our own solar system that could be capable of harboring life, and then look at the size of the galaxy.. you'd have to be retarded to believe life doesn't exist elsewhere.

This is a bold conclusion considering there is zero evidence to support it. Don't infer truth simply because you want it to be so.

 

[GRColin]

Guys guys guys....

....Don't you know?

The Prothean' will come visit us, lend us their relay technology and with that we will advance to such a high end technological level that we'll be able to travel to MULTIPLE galaxies, let alone distant planets in our own solar system.

God.

Don't you guys know ANYTHING?

 

[Longo_2_guns]

This is a bold conclusion considering there is zero evidence to support it. Don't infer truth simply because you want it to be so.

There's zero evidence that I'll enjoy sex with that one hot women's soccer player but I still try for it.