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More NASA stuff :) - 2/1/2011 11:18:03 PM

GreedyTop

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http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/feb/02/nasa-finds-planets-a-plenty-outside-solar-system/

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/1/2011 11:51:51 PM

Termyn8or

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I suspected as much. What happens when they find the even smaller ones, the ones that don't feature molten lead ? Will we strive to visit them if we don't destroy ourselves ?

Though I don't persue the subject much anymore, I've always dreamt of encountering extraterrestrials. I'd hop in the ship, of course I would have to teach them how to make decent beer. They can even experiment on me if they understand the concept of a safeword :-) Just to be involved, even if noone else knows it would be worth the risk. However that assumes that they would be sentient, and somehow able to communicate. But if they don't come here we will have to go there.

I'd like to see this planet get straightened out so we can become the explorers we were meant to be.

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/1/2011 11:57:24 PM

Rule

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Its another of them radial velocity Fata Morgana? They do not exist.

Alien species on the other hand do exist.

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/2/2011 1:09:33 AM

Termyn8or

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Alien species do exist - right here on this planet. They've found organisms living in the steam produced by underwater volcanoes. Cockroaches can survive many different environments, cold like you wouldn't believe, and you can microwave them and it doesn't even seem to bother them.

One of the reasons roaches can survive getting nuked is that they have alot lower water content in their bodies. Water is not likely to be as abundant on other worlds possible of supporting life. I think if we don't meet our doom first, the first extraterrestrials we find will be insects. And there is no reason to believe that they can't become intelligent. In fact we can't even really prove that our insects are not. Many insects live in some form of a society.

The size of these beings will mostly depend on gravity, with larger ones developing on planets with lower gravity, but yet enough to maintain an atmosphere. Denser planets will give rise to smaller beings. There is limit though, because molecules can only get so small, therefore there is a practical limit on how small a living cell (that we would recognize) can actually be.

On the other end of the spectrum are less dense planets which could spawn larger, and therefore more complex organisms with larger brains. However there is still such a thing as mass which is independent of gravity. They would likely be clumsy and vulnerable to injury, which would limit their viability.

There is a range, outside of which higher development becomes less likely. The mass of a celestial object cannot be determined by it's orbit, only by the orbits of it's satellites. We are having trouble finding planets, it will probably take some time to discover their satellites if any. And we can't just show up even if we had vehicles to get there. If the gravity of the moon was equal to that of Earth, the moonshots would not have been possible. What if it was greater and escape velocity could not be attained ? Would we ever know what the explorers found ?

If one really explores the possibilities, they come to know just how advanced we AREN'T.

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/2/2011 4:16:51 AM

mummyman321

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Who thinks the human race is Alien?

One of the theories of the origins of life on earth are extra terrestrial. Not the sci-fi version but much more subtle. One of the theories is that the amino acids and protiens chains that formed the first life forms on earth did not just accidently form in our oceans. But instead arrive via meteors. An Alien seed for life if you want to think about it in another way. Interesting thought that we may actually be the aliens!

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/2/2011 8:52:41 AM

Termyn8or

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That begets more questions - go figure.

If this planet was seeded, who did the seeding ? How did they come into existence ? Did an even older race seed their planet ? If so, how then did those before them come into existence ? The concept carries to infinity, which would seem to go against the big bang theory. Of course we don't really know if that theory is true either. We have indications, but I have indications that freedom is slavery and ignorance, bliss.

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ETA : that last sentence was NOT directed at you personally at all.

< Message edited by Termyn8or -- 2/2/2011 8:55:05 AM >

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/2/2011 12:17:57 PM

Rule

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Kepler-11?

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/3/2011 7:46:18 AM

Outlier2

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Thank you GT,

This has great potential. It will be very interesting
to see how many of this dimming events really are
planets in the habitable zone of their solar system.

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/3/2011 7:48:01 AM

GreedyTop

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yep yep.. :)

I am planning to head to CC on 2/24.. you should come too, OL :)

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/3/2011 12:17:18 PM

Outlier2

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GT,

I found this site about the Kepler Mission.

They are searching for planets that are not too hot
and not too cold. Planets in the "Goldilocks Zone."

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RE: More NASA stuff :) - 2/3/2011 9:47:17 PM

GreedyTop

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Thanks, OL!!

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