gbesq
·62 miles to space.
62 miles separates life on Earth and well.... no life on earth.
When you take into account all the things that had to go right for life on Earth it does make me ponder we are in fact alone.
62 miles to space.
62 miles separates life on Earth and well.... no life on earth.
When you take into account all the things that had to go right for life on Earth it does make me ponder we are in fact alone.
With approximately 400 billion stars estimated to exist in our neighborhood (the Milky Way Galaxy), the probability that we are alone is virtually nil. What is certain, however, is that our closest neighbors aren’t exactly living next door since the nearest star to our Sun, Proxima Centauri, is more than 4 light years distant.
I used to be in your camp but increasingly I sit on the fence and think we could well be alone in any meaningfull sense given the evolutionary time and steps it has taken to reach this tenuous point. As you say if there is other intelligent life the spatial challenges are vast - not forgetting the temporal / timing issues in terms of a discovery. If we could discover any hint of life elsewhere, if we were able to synthesise life, if we were able to generate artifical consciousness etc there would be a firmer base to reach a judgement. Until we have mastered some of the real fundementals I think there are strong arguments that ours could be a unique situation (and even with infinite time monkeys and typewriters you would not get shakesphere). I do think that is why space exploration is a critical pillar of our development.
....I do think that is why space exploration is a critical pillar of our development.
Me? I just have a hard time with the notion "we" are at the top of the universal food chain, or the top of the brain trust or whatever.
have fun
kfw
Certainly anything is possible, but I tend to think that we cannot possibly be alone given the vastness of the universe. Our galaxy to the universe is the equivalent of a grain of sand on a beach. Yes, the distances between individual stars, let alone galaxies, is staggering, but I think it’s likely that there are other civilizations out there that have developed to a point where interstellar travel is achievable in a compressed timeframe. I suspect that eventually we will be contacted. Whether that occurs in our lifetime is another question. It certainly is conceivable that we have already been examined by far more advanced civilizations and a decision was made that the human race is still a bunch of tribal barbarians that is not ready for prime time.
It would be miraculous if we were the only life in the entire universe. Vast doesn’t describe what is around us. If by some weird chance, we are the only planet that contains life in the entire universe think how much more precious that makes life. And then think of how we kill each other over 5 bucks or a piece of land. Pretty wild really.
I can’t recall which eminent scientist posed the question “are we alone?”
It doesn’t seem possible we’re the only living beings in the entire universe. And if we are, well we’re not doing a very good job of it.
Not sure where I heard this, but given the history of exploration on Earth, pity the poor Alien Indians.
I think there's a good chance there is other life in the universe but they are hiding.
I want to have a thread where we can talk about things relating (but not limited) to SpaceX, Blue Origin, ULA, Dynetics, Virgin, Boeing etc....or really just news of up and coming spaceflight in general..
On the related theme, I for one was really pleased for Bill Shatner to make the trip, and it was somehow appropriate, in this unique meeting of Art meeting Life, that James T. Kirk is the oldest man in Space.
Whatever the merits of Virgin Galactic, being Chief pilot is some achievement and it must be one hell of a ride. David Mackay (ex RAF Test Pilot, Commanding Officer at the RAF fast jet flight and holder of the Air Force Cross) is the Chief pilot and now qualified as an FAA commercial astronaut – so the first Scotsman in space.
Some who always dreamed of flying and was inspired by the Apollo missions … so which watch to choose…. :0)
Dave Mackay: how I became a Spaceship Pilot - Virgin Galactic
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