Possible contact?

[Dude_Doc]

http://www.newscientist.com/news/nographic.jsp?id=ns99996341

One of our magazines also mentioned this. What do you think?

[Dunenewt]

Looks really interesting to me.  I heard it mentioned on the radio but I'm surprised more people haven't made a fuss about it.

[Dude_Doc]

Well, with the Russian school-thing going on, CNN won't even write anything else in the lower scrolling text. I wonder what would happen if the signal was real... Would they tell? Would they cover it up?

[nemafakei]

"It was Bell Burnell who in 1967 noticed a pulsed radio signal which the research team at the time thought was from extraterrestrials but which turned out to be the first ever sighting of a pulsar"

I know someone who would have been on that team for his PhD, but instead he chose to work in interesting properties of glass. He really is that sort of person, though.

[Dude_Doc]

Yeah, well. I hope we get contact soon enough. I think it is necessary for mankind.

[nemafakei]

I hope we can sort out our own problems before making contact. It's the interplanetary equivalent of turning up looking like a tramp.

And no, I do not believe anyone capable of contacting us will think it's 'cool'.

[Dude_Doc]

Humanity would be organizaed if there would be an alien threat. I hope so at least.

[ordos45]

How old would these signals be?  Thousands of years even if true?  And if true, if one takes the Fermi Paradox to imply no race can remain dominant in the galaxy for long, then they may not even be there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

(The Heritage Trilogy of books used the Fermi Paradox to show why humanity hadn't contacted aliens yet, but found ruins.  Whichever race was dominant was referred to as the Hunters of the Dawn.  This race would wipe out the ones that could become a threat, and eventually a new race would destroy it and become The Hunters of the Dawn of the galaxy.)

[nemafakei]

I wasn't necessarily talking about a threat, nor co-ordination.

I meant the way we treat each other.

[Davidu]

Well, if any alien would come by I really think he'll think we're a race of idiots for making a habit of killing each other. See the school masacre is Russia. If it was up to me I'd invest all of Romania's resources is space travel developement and I'd take us into space as soon as possible. IT IS NECESSARY! But well, we can't do that can we? My country doesen't have enough economic power. ( And even if it had it wouldn't be allowed... but anyway). So, the big powers are just rubbing their toes about the space program. Russia is just launching satelites. So is Japan and ESA. And NASA is trying to build that small space-station. I'm sure we could do MUCH MUCH more. Only the chineese actually think about going out. And if we're not careful they'll colonise the universe instead of us. They have technology, resources, man-power, and enough economical power to do it. Think about it...

[Dude_Doc]

Well, if any alien would come by I really think he'll think we're a race of idiots for making a habit of killing each other.

All humans aren't bound to violence. Power corrupts, and those with power have a habit of inflicting pain and suffering on others for his/her own benefit. And besides, if any aliens really exist, I think they would have had, in some point of their history, conflicts, not much unlike ours (counquering lands, religious matters, money, etc). Just because they have "invented" long-distance space travel doesn't mean that they are so smart that they never had any conflicts, and therefore could begin space travelling before us. However, it can indicate that they have been around longer than humans.

Russia is just launching satelites. So is Japan and ESA. And NASA is trying to build that small space-station. I'm sure we could do MUCH MUCH more.

This isn't really a problem, and at the same time, it depends on politics. Firstly, we can't just "go into space". You can't just "make a cancer-vaccine", you have to do lots of research. First, to invent the rocket. Then, to make it possible for the rocket to make it out into space itself. Then, to get it there and back. After that, we have to find a way to get living organisms there and back. These steps may sound short and easy, but it does take time. Just because we don't have this and that doesn't mean people researching in those areas don't want to.

Adding to that, we have to make space travelling economic and useful. In our current situation, for example, the further you want to go, the more fuel you'll need. And we can't just launch a giant rocket with all that fuel, it's risky and stupid, and it would be too heavy to even get off the ground. Maybe this is why we build space stations? We can build spacecraft in space, and launch them from there.

I also mentioned usefullness. Now, even if we can go a great distance, we would still have to know exactly where, and why. Say, Mars. We would have to know what we would do there. Exploration? Yes, that's possible. But we have to know what to explore, we have to have a very stable set of plans, and even more plans should anything go wrong. That's why we study Mars from Earth, and that's why we send satellites instead of humans.

Now, that's just the technical part. There is a human part too - we have to find a way so that humans can thrive in the dark space, millions of miles from Earth, and without any possible help should anything critical happen. That's security, emergency-systems, extra tools, air, food, fuel among many things. Humans have to be able to walk normally so that they don't deform their bodies in zero gravity - that's why artificial gravity is good for. The austronauts have to be conscious and don't loose their minds - space is a dangerous place, and even if we think our minds can take the pressure (like being pretty much alone), it may not.

So you see, there are many things still to be done.

But, it's not only this part that matters. Politics and funds have a play in this too. I do believe that we would have come much further than we are today in the space program, but as you can see, our world isn't bright, and people just don't see the point of exploring space when there are so much conflicts and crime in this world. After all, exploring space with a solid and happy society.

Only the chineese actually think about going out. And if we're not careful they'll colonise the universe instead of us. They have technology, resources, man-power, and enough economical power to do it. Think about it...

Maybe that's possible, but on the other hand, China is a dictatorship. The government there force their people to do their bidding, so it's no miracle that they have come so far. Besides, their plans of a manned space mission to the moon isn't anywhere soon. Though, they could bypass the US and Russia, but that is only if their economy keeps going the way it does now. No one knows what the future holds...

[Davidu]

Who's talking about rockets??? Have you heard of ionic engines? I dunno how effective they are... THAT has to be researched! Accelerate the ions and then shoot them off to create thrust. 4 such engines powered by a nuclear generator: like those aboard US or russian subs. Artificial gravity with the help of rotative segments.

And I said SMALL spacestation 'cause it's really small. How can you use the International Space Station as a shipyard? You can't. Again a larger, sturdier station with rotatiove segments would do the trick. If the cold war wouldn't have ended, well I can asure you by now SOMEONE would have reached Mars. Now there's no competition.

You said Chine is a dictatorship. So what? So what if they force their people into the future? At least they DO something... Everyone says that space is our future, right? Then why if we talk about it everyone sais: "dreams" or "it's a long way ahead" or such...

You're right: it's not economic... there will be no money from the space exploration. But on the other hand... when Earth will be a polluted industrial junkyard, a wasteland... it will be quite economic to go and settle somewhere else.

At least that's how I see all of this.

[Caid Ivik]

China is dictatorship, that's no problem. Soviet Union was so as well when they sent first weapons out of Earth...