I suspect that the current smart phones would seem magical to a pre Sputnik early 1950's American! From streaming movies (with special effects so real the 1950's person would think they were real images) to GPS! It would blow their mind. The stuff that will be common in 100 years would blow our minds.
Great News for a Mars Colony!
- Thread starter lotr10
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I suspect that the current smart phones would seem magical to a pre Sputnik early 1950's American! From streaming movies (with special effects so real the 1950's person would think they were real images) to GPS! It would blow their mind. The stuff that will be common in 100 years would blow our minds.
I'll admit I'm NOT a big fan of Branson and Virgin Galactic. Cool name but the whole enterprise seems empty to me.
On the one hand you have Bezos and SpaceX - which build REAL rockets that go into space - and on the other hand you have Virgin Galactic building pretty, futuristic "spaceport" lounges in the desert.
www.thesun.co.uk
I think I know who is the more serious space explorer.
On the one hand you have Bezos and SpaceX - which build REAL rockets that go into space - and on the other hand you have Virgin Galactic building pretty, futuristic "spaceport" lounges in the desert.
Virgin Galactic finally reveals Spaceport passenger lounge and mission control – ahead of £200,000-a-ticket flights this year
SIR RICHARD Branson has finally unveiled the Spaceport that he will use to fire space tourists into orbit next year. His wacky space venture Virgin Galactic plans to charge £200,000 a ticket to lau…
www.thesun.co.uk
I think I know who is the more serious space explorer.
Here's an update on the SpaceX Starship:
www.space.com
As NASA works toward its long-term goal of establishing a human settlement on Mars, SpaceX is fleshing out its plans to help NASA make that dream a reality.
The private spaceflight company, which regularly launches cargo to the International Space Station with the Falcon 9 rocket and will soon launch astronauts up there, is currently building an interplanetary spacecraft for Mars. Known as Starship, the rocket-spacecraft combo will be able to launch 100 passengers and large amounts of cargo to and from the Red Planet.
Before Starship can launch to Mars, it will start off launching commercial satellites as early as 2021, followed by a crewed flight around the moon in 2023. Although SpaceX has not given a timeline for its first missions to Mars, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said that the first Mars base could be up and running in 2028. And while Musk shared some eye-catching artist illustrations depicting what he called "Mars Base Alpha" as an intricate network of buildings and infrastructure, SpaceX's plans for the Red Planet are not quite that extensive.
How SpaceX's Starship Will Help Establish a Mars Base
SpaceX's Mars plans focus on interplanetary transportation, not building human habitats.
www.space.com
As NASA works toward its long-term goal of establishing a human settlement on Mars, SpaceX is fleshing out its plans to help NASA make that dream a reality.
The private spaceflight company, which regularly launches cargo to the International Space Station with the Falcon 9 rocket and will soon launch astronauts up there, is currently building an interplanetary spacecraft for Mars. Known as Starship, the rocket-spacecraft combo will be able to launch 100 passengers and large amounts of cargo to and from the Red Planet.
Before Starship can launch to Mars, it will start off launching commercial satellites as early as 2021, followed by a crewed flight around the moon in 2023. Although SpaceX has not given a timeline for its first missions to Mars, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said that the first Mars base could be up and running in 2028. And while Musk shared some eye-catching artist illustrations depicting what he called "Mars Base Alpha" as an intricate network of buildings and infrastructure, SpaceX's plans for the Red Planet are not quite that extensive.
Yappi
Go Buckeyes
SpaceX Starman Roadster completes its first orbit around the Sun
www.engadget.com
SpaceX Starman Roadster completes its first orbit around the Sun
Starman and his Tesla Roadster are now regular denizens of space. According to data from Where is Roadster, the cosmic driver has completed his first orbit around the Sun, taking 557 days since the first Falcon Heavy launch to circle our home star. Its path has taken it over 762 million miles...
www.engadget.com
Even though it was a long time go proof that it can happen here:
www.space.com
About 35 million years ago, an asteroid traveling nearly 144,000 mph (231,000 km/h) smashed into the Atlantic Ocean near the modern-day town of Cape Charles, Virginia. The space rock vaporized instantly, but its impact triggered a gargantuan tsunami, cast up a monsoon of shattered rocks and molten glass that spanned hundreds of miles and carved out the single largest crater in the United States — the so-called Chesapeake Bay impact structure.
America's Largest Asteroid Impact Left a Trail of Destruction Across the Eastern United States
America's largest impact crater wreaked havoc on the land and water. Scientists are just beginning to understand it.
www.space.com
About 35 million years ago, an asteroid traveling nearly 144,000 mph (231,000 km/h) smashed into the Atlantic Ocean near the modern-day town of Cape Charles, Virginia. The space rock vaporized instantly, but its impact triggered a gargantuan tsunami, cast up a monsoon of shattered rocks and molten glass that spanned hundreds of miles and carved out the single largest crater in the United States — the so-called Chesapeake Bay impact structure.
I'm assuming this is due to better measurement techniques & equipment and NOT to any increase in the number of these occurrences:
www.cnet.com
Scientists suddenly have a whole lot more data on one of the strangest and most recent mysteries in the cosmos, so-called fast radio bursts. First discovered in 2007, these fleeting blasts of radio waves originate thousands, millions or even billions of light-years from Earth.
FRBs have influenced the design of new radio telescopes like the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). And now a team of Canadian and American researchers using CHIME has reported a major new set of FRB detections that could fine-tune our understanding of where these enigmatic signals come from and what produces them.
The weird, repeating signals from deep space just tripled
Fast radio bursts are getting more attention from scientists, who can now detect more of them.
www.cnet.com
Scientists suddenly have a whole lot more data on one of the strangest and most recent mysteries in the cosmos, so-called fast radio bursts. First discovered in 2007, these fleeting blasts of radio waves originate thousands, millions or even billions of light-years from Earth.
FRBs have influenced the design of new radio telescopes like the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). And now a team of Canadian and American researchers using CHIME has reported a major new set of FRB detections that could fine-tune our understanding of where these enigmatic signals come from and what produces them.
Now this is exciting. A HUGE space station design that could be built tomorrow:
www.nextbigfuture.com
This space station would have 11 million cubic meters of pressurized volume versus 931 meters for the International space station. This would be 12,000 times larger volume. It would be 488 meters in diameter. It would have 1.6 times the diameter of the largest stadium dome (300 meters in diameter) in the world which is a sports stadium in Singapore.
It will have the volume of about 20 of the largest cruise ships.
The space station would spin like the space station in 2001. It would generate its own gravity. It would be designed to very comfortably hold 1500 staff and guests.
Check out the article as it has several outstanding technical drawings showing what the station would look like.
Technically Feasible Huge Next Generation Space Station | NextBigFuture.com
The Goal of Gateway Foundation Von Braun Station is to build a dual-use station that is economically self-sustaining.
www.nextbigfuture.com
This space station would have 11 million cubic meters of pressurized volume versus 931 meters for the International space station. This would be 12,000 times larger volume. It would be 488 meters in diameter. It would have 1.6 times the diameter of the largest stadium dome (300 meters in diameter) in the world which is a sports stadium in Singapore.
It will have the volume of about 20 of the largest cruise ships.
The space station would spin like the space station in 2001. It would generate its own gravity. It would be designed to very comfortably hold 1500 staff and guests.
Check out the article as it has several outstanding technical drawings showing what the station would look like.
Another big success for SpaceX:
www.popularmechanics.com
SpaceX's Starhopper took flight around 5 p.m. CT on August 27 and successfully completed its 150-meter test. The whole flight lasted a little under a minute.
Check out the great videos at the link!
SpaceX's Starhopper Successfully Completes Final Test Flight
This was the second and final flight for the SpaceX test rocket.
www.popularmechanics.com
SpaceX's Starhopper took flight around 5 p.m. CT on August 27 and successfully completed its 150-meter test. The whole flight lasted a little under a minute.
Check out the great videos at the link!
Wow, this headline reads like the opening of one of those 1950's Science Fiction movies:
www.space.com
China's Chang'e-4 lunar rover has discovered an unusually colored, 'gel-like' substance during its exploration activities on the far side of the moon.
China's Lunar Rover Has Found Something Weird on the Far Side of the Moon
China's Chang'e-4 lunar rover, Yutu-2, has discovered an unusually colored 'gel-like' substance during its exploration activities on the far side of the moon.
www.space.com
China's Chang'e-4 lunar rover has discovered an unusually colored, 'gel-like' substance during its exploration activities on the far side of the moon.
You could never accuse of SpaceX of not thinking BIG:
To put it mildly, it is most intriguing to discover that SpaceX is beginning to research a place where it can land Starship on Mars. I immediately emailed Nathan Williams, the JPL scientist who requested these images from SpaceX, but he was bound by a non-disclosure agreement with SpaceX and could not comment. I have since tried to get some information directly from SpaceX but so far the company has not responded. A 2017 news story had indicated the company’s interest in this Mars’ location, but gave no details either.
Based on what we now know of Mars, however, it is possible to figure out why they favor this location, on the border between the two large northern lowland plains Arcadia and Amazonis Planitia.
First and foremost, there is strong evidence that this location holds buried glaciers called lobate debris aprons. The hilly arc where site #1 is nestled, dubbed Erebus Montes, apparently is filled with these kinds of glaciers, according to this global Martian map of glacier locations (shown as the yellow arc near the left edge in the northern glacial band).
To put it mildly, it is most intriguing to discover that SpaceX is beginning to research a place where it can land Starship on Mars. I immediately emailed Nathan Williams, the JPL scientist who requested these images from SpaceX, but he was bound by a non-disclosure agreement with SpaceX and could not comment. I have since tried to get some information directly from SpaceX but so far the company has not responded. A 2017 news story had indicated the company’s interest in this Mars’ location, but gave no details either.
Based on what we now know of Mars, however, it is possible to figure out why they favor this location, on the border between the two large northern lowland plains Arcadia and Amazonis Planitia.
First and foremost, there is strong evidence that this location holds buried glaciers called lobate debris aprons. The hilly arc where site #1 is nestled, dubbed Erebus Montes, apparently is filled with these kinds of glaciers, according to this global Martian map of glacier locations (shown as the yellow arc near the left edge in the northern glacial band).
Astronomers may be closing in on what those strange radio bursts coming from the edge of he Galaxy are.
Last month, a consortium of five dozen astronomers reported the discovery of eight new bursts that may lead to an answer. The objects were found with the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, or CHIME. This unusual-looking radio telescope, about the size of a football field, consists of four metal mesh cylinders — like skateboard half-pipes — that collect and focus incoming radio waves. CHIME is in a sparsely populated, mountainous region of British Columbia about 30 miles north of the U.S. border.
While CHIME is leading the pack today in discovering radio bursts, the first such burst was found a dozen years ago by a West Virginia University astronomer sitting at his desk in Morgantown. Duncan Lorimer was combing through data obtained from a radio telescope in Parkes, Australia — half a world away — when he noticed a short burp of static, the kind of signal you'd produce by firing up a transmitter and then turning it off a few milliseconds later.
Last month, a consortium of five dozen astronomers reported the discovery of eight new bursts that may lead to an answer. The objects were found with the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, or CHIME. This unusual-looking radio telescope, about the size of a football field, consists of four metal mesh cylinders — like skateboard half-pipes — that collect and focus incoming radio waves. CHIME is in a sparsely populated, mountainous region of British Columbia about 30 miles north of the U.S. border.
While CHIME is leading the pack today in discovering radio bursts, the first such burst was found a dozen years ago by a West Virginia University astronomer sitting at his desk in Morgantown. Duncan Lorimer was combing through data obtained from a radio telescope in Parkes, Australia — half a world away — when he noticed a short burp of static, the kind of signal you'd produce by firing up a transmitter and then turning it off a few milliseconds later.
Well there goes the neighborhood!
Now, there’s a new entrant in this new space race, a nonprofit organization called the Open Lunar Foundation. Based in San Francisco, it’s a group made up of tech executives and engineers—many of them with former ties to NASA—who have serious ambitions to create a lunar settlement.
Now, there’s a new entrant in this new space race, a nonprofit organization called the Open Lunar Foundation. Based in San Francisco, it’s a group made up of tech executives and engineers—many of them with former ties to NASA—who have serious ambitions to create a lunar settlement.
FootballFan1795
Well-known member
Well there goes the neighborhood!
Now, there’s a new entrant in this new space race, a nonprofit organization called the Open Lunar Foundation. Based in San Francisco, it’s a group made up of tech executives and engineers—many of them with former ties to NASA—who have serious ambitions to create a lunar settlement.
Thought we didn’t have hippie communes anymore (except maybe in Portlandia):
A nice review of the chances for Interstellar exploration by our own Ohio State space expert!
www.space.com
Interstellar space travel. Fantasy of every five-year-old kid within us. Staple of science fiction serials. Boldly going where nobody has gone before in a really fantastic way. As we grow ever more advanced with our rockets and space probes, the question arises: could we ever hope to colonize the stars? Or, barring that far-flung dream, can we at least send space probes to alien planets, letting them tell us what they see?
The truth is that interstellar travel and exploration is technically possible. There's no law of physics that outright forbids it. But that doesn't necessarily make it easy, and it certainly doesn't mean we'll achieve it in our lifetimes, let alone this century.
I think it simply comes down to the fact that we don't know what we don't know. The greatest minds of the 19th century could never have even guessed that something like an I phone could ever be created and used by almost everyone. My guess is that 500 years from now when we're zipping from star to star how they do it would be similarly incomprehensible to us today.
Is Interstellar Travel Really Possible?
Interstellar flight is a real pain in the neck.
www.space.com
Interstellar space travel. Fantasy of every five-year-old kid within us. Staple of science fiction serials. Boldly going where nobody has gone before in a really fantastic way. As we grow ever more advanced with our rockets and space probes, the question arises: could we ever hope to colonize the stars? Or, barring that far-flung dream, can we at least send space probes to alien planets, letting them tell us what they see?
The truth is that interstellar travel and exploration is technically possible. There's no law of physics that outright forbids it. But that doesn't necessarily make it easy, and it certainly doesn't mean we'll achieve it in our lifetimes, let alone this century.
I think it simply comes down to the fact that we don't know what we don't know. The greatest minds of the 19th century could never have even guessed that something like an I phone could ever be created and used by almost everyone. My guess is that 500 years from now when we're zipping from star to star how they do it would be similarly incomprehensible to us today.
I can't vouch for the quality of the science...........but:
www.ibtimes.com
The latest claim regarding the existence of a huge alien structure on one of Jupiter’s moons was made by Scott Waring of ET Data Base. According to Waring, he made the discovery while exploring the website WorldWideTelescope.org.
The site features interactive maps and images of cosmic bodies taken by satellites and space telescopes. Many of the images featured on the site were taken by NASA through its various satellite and space telescope missions such as Chandra and Spitzer.
While looking at the moon Europa, which is one of the smallest Galilean moons of Jupiter, Waring came across a dark spot on its surface. After zooming in on the photo, he noticed that the spot was an object that had a very geometrical shape. Waring also noticed various large openings near the center of the object. He assumed that these were the docking bays for alien vessels.
This reminds me of the great science fiction book "The Forge of God" written by Greg Bear! That book did not have a happy ending.
NASA Photo Shows Massive Alien Base On Jupiter’s Moon Europa
A UFO expert claimed to have spotted a massive alien base capable of housing an entire fleet on Jupiter’s moon Europa. The expert came across the image of the alien base after going through a NASA photo.
www.ibtimes.com
The latest claim regarding the existence of a huge alien structure on one of Jupiter’s moons was made by Scott Waring of ET Data Base. According to Waring, he made the discovery while exploring the website WorldWideTelescope.org.
The site features interactive maps and images of cosmic bodies taken by satellites and space telescopes. Many of the images featured on the site were taken by NASA through its various satellite and space telescope missions such as Chandra and Spitzer.
While looking at the moon Europa, which is one of the smallest Galilean moons of Jupiter, Waring came across a dark spot on its surface. After zooming in on the photo, he noticed that the spot was an object that had a very geometrical shape. Waring also noticed various large openings near the center of the object. He assumed that these were the docking bays for alien vessels.
This reminds me of the great science fiction book "The Forge of God" written by Greg Bear! That book did not have a happy ending.
^^^Alien base on Europa confirmed by "Ancient Aliens" TV show.
Well then I need to load up the bomb shelter with beans & rice!
… and Pop-Tarts!
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
Just need a few truckloads of Twinkies.
Asgardia lives!
www.express.co.uk
Igor Ashurbeyli is the Azeri-Russian tycoon behind Asgardia, a project launched three years ago to establish “permanent peace in space”. In 2017, the group sent a satellite – Asgardia-1 – into low-Earth orbit and declared sovereignty over the space it occupies. The outlandish ambitions do not cease there, but “Head of Nation” Dr Ashurbeyli has sought to prove this is more than just a sci-fi fantasy.
I love how this guy thinks BIG, but the devil will be in the details (and FUNDING)! The illustrations in the article are cool though.
Russian billionaire’s plan to create 15 million-strong 'Noah’s Ark”
A RUSSIAN billionaire is ramping up plans to save humanity by creating a floating “garden of gods” in the Solar System for 15 million lucky people.
www.express.co.uk
Igor Ashurbeyli is the Azeri-Russian tycoon behind Asgardia, a project launched three years ago to establish “permanent peace in space”. In 2017, the group sent a satellite – Asgardia-1 – into low-Earth orbit and declared sovereignty over the space it occupies. The outlandish ambitions do not cease there, but “Head of Nation” Dr Ashurbeyli has sought to prove this is more than just a sci-fi fantasy.
I love how this guy thinks BIG, but the devil will be in the details (and FUNDING)! The illustrations in the article are cool though.
FootballFan1795
Well-known member
Asgardia lives!
Russian billionaire’s plan to create 15 million-strong 'Noah’s Ark”
A RUSSIAN billionaire is ramping up plans to save humanity by creating a floating “garden of gods” in the Solar System for 15 million lucky people.
Igor Ashurbeyli is the Azeri-Russian tycoon behind Asgardia, a project launched three years ago to establish “permanent peace in space”. In 2017, the group sent a satellite – Asgardia-1 – into low-Earth orbit and declared sovereignty over the space it occupies. The outlandish ambitions do not cease there, but “Head of Nation” Dr Ashurbeyli has sought to prove this is more than just a sci-fi fantasy.
I love how this guy thinks BIG, but the devil will be in the details (and FUNDING)! The illustrations in the article are cool though.
LOL
Was all ready to sign up, until I read that a Lib Dem would be in charge!
I'm a sucker for these kinds of "science" articles on outer space:
www.businessinsider.com
It's a fun read but here's my problem with it: these guys are scientists but their explanations are far to narrow minded. IMO a decent science fiction writer comes up with far more plausible reasons for why the Galaxy isn't overflowing with alien civilization then these so called scientists. And the scientific evidence that supports any of these theories is weak so whoever has the best imagination wins.
For me the simplest explanation is that something bad happens to civilizations as they arise. Wars between civilizations employing genocidal weapons or civilizations being wiped out by their own versions of AI come to mind.
Or on the positive side our solar system is being treated like a fragile cultural ecosystem where a thriving galactic civilization has declared us as off limits in the way we create national parks! Who knows how many alien nature documentaries we've been featured on!
Alien civilizations may have explored the galaxy and visited Earth already, a new study says. We just haven’t seen them recently.
The answer to the Fermi paradox could be that aliens have already visited Earth, a study says. But it might have been more than 10 million years ago.
www.businessinsider.com
- The Milky Way could be teeming with extraterrestrial civilizations that have spread across the stars, a new study found.
- The study offers new perspectives on the Fermi paradox, which asks why we haven't found signs of intelligent extraterrestrials in our galaxy.
- There are plenty of scenarios in which aliens could exist but we haven't heard from them, the study's authors wrote. Aliens may have even visited Earth, they say — just not recently enough for us to have noticed.
- The study suggests that aliens might wait for stars to move closer to one another before spreading across the galaxy.
It's a fun read but here's my problem with it: these guys are scientists but their explanations are far to narrow minded. IMO a decent science fiction writer comes up with far more plausible reasons for why the Galaxy isn't overflowing with alien civilization then these so called scientists. And the scientific evidence that supports any of these theories is weak so whoever has the best imagination wins.
For me the simplest explanation is that something bad happens to civilizations as they arise. Wars between civilizations employing genocidal weapons or civilizations being wiped out by their own versions of AI come to mind.
Or on the positive side our solar system is being treated like a fragile cultural ecosystem where a thriving galactic civilization has declared us as off limits in the way we create national parks! Who knows how many alien nature documentaries we've been featured on!
^^^Every so often, the Fermi paradox is brought up in this thread. It's a good question. "Where is everybody?"
There are many possible reasons. lotr10 likes the possibility of annihilation/extinction, in some form. Advanced civilizations can certainly destroy themselves.
I've always favored an even simpler reason: distances in space and time are so vast that it is impossible, unfeasible or impractical to travel between the stars. Even the most advanced technology may not be able to overcome the obstacles of interstellar travel. Solutions that may seem theoretically possible to humans, may not be, such as Alcubierre (warp) drives, wormholes/stargates, etc. The observable universe is 93 billion light-years in diameter and about 13.8 billion years old, with possibly 2 trillion galaxies. The Milky Way galaxy alone has about 250 billion star systems and likely even more planets and moons (possibly trillions). The nearest star to Earth is about 25 trillion miles away. The nearest advanced civilization would likely be even much, much, much further. Space and time are vast. Everything would have to be perfect for aliens to visit Earth.
There are many possible reasons. lotr10 likes the possibility of annihilation/extinction, in some form. Advanced civilizations can certainly destroy themselves.
I've always favored an even simpler reason: distances in space and time are so vast that it is impossible, unfeasible or impractical to travel between the stars. Even the most advanced technology may not be able to overcome the obstacles of interstellar travel. Solutions that may seem theoretically possible to humans, may not be, such as Alcubierre (warp) drives, wormholes/stargates, etc. The observable universe is 93 billion light-years in diameter and about 13.8 billion years old, with possibly 2 trillion galaxies. The Milky Way galaxy alone has about 250 billion star systems and likely even more planets and moons (possibly trillions). The nearest star to Earth is about 25 trillion miles away. The nearest advanced civilization would likely be even much, much, much further. Space and time are vast. Everything would have to be perfect for aliens to visit Earth.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
If you presume there's "others" out there that have the ability to get here somehow, I'd think it would be extremely arrogant to believe they'd undoubtedly see Earth as worth visiting and us as being worth making contact with. Odds are we would seem very primitive or non-complex to interstellar travelers.
Yes, interstellar travelers' technology would be light years ahead of our primitive technology.
(sorry, I couldn't resist)
My guess is that any interest would be along anthropological lines. Observing a sentient species as it climbs out of its gravity well towards space. Or they might be "protecting" us from outside influences in an effort to maximize galactic diversity by allowing us to develop along a unique evolutionary path. The possibilities here are endless.
Distance might be the limiting factor. For sure the separation between civilizations on a geographical scale is immense. I just believe that at some point technology will conquer the tyranny of distance.