So scientists have now found a rocky planet in the “Goldilocks” distance from the sun — the distance at which the temperatures are right for liquid water. Still, the planet is pretty sucky as it doesn’t rotate in relation with its star so one side is burnt and the other side is frozen, but still scientists think things could possibly be stuff living on the in between areas on the edges — the terminus. And they think they can find life there, so it’s like a big deal.
Except it’s twenty light years away. So if we had something that could go the speed of light — which we don’t, other than, you know, light — it would take twenty years to get there, and then another twenty to send back what it found. So it’s not like we’re going to find out anything new about this planet in our lifetime, and how much effort are we going to spend on exploring when we don’t even know for certain yet it has easily killable natives guarding precious unobtainium?
And this seems like as good a time as any to point out it’s 2010 and we still don’t even have a moon base. It was 1969 we went to the moon, and all we’ve done since is diddle around in orbit. And we’re going to find out stuff about distant planets when we still haven’t had people on Mars? We better hope there isn’t other life out there, because they’re going to make fun of us.
I think it’s RACIST to demand that all other life forms be water based. Are non-water based creatures somehow not as good as we are? The whole idea of the “Goldilocks Zone” implies that the planet must be right for us without considering the feelings of alien beings. Either that, or it implies that aliens eat porridge, and if so, it’s prolly not worth the effort to go and meet them.
Just wait about fifty years – Zefram Cochrane will save us!
Well, I think that there ARE other organisms that don’t require liquid water to survive, however, I believe that they are trying to say that generally, it is much more likely to find life on a planet that has water rather than without. I do agree there may be other non-water based organisms in the universe though.
Frank, would it totally torque SarahK if you asked her the politically incorrect question, “How’s my baby’s mama?” Concerned folks want to know.
Idiotic scientists never once considered the fact that the Moon itself is a form of life. A dark, twisted, and wicked form of life. One we have allowed to prosper. Well, our chickens will come home to roost.
Time to send out Major West, Dr. Smith and the Robinsons! Just make sure they take their GPS.
Twenty light years? So we flash them a morse code message and patiently wait 40 years. If they’re cool they’ll flash something back. And if they don’t reply, well, screw ’em. They ain’t worth our time.
Wait – if it’s 20 light years away we’re just now seeing it as it was 20 years ago. How do we know if it’s even still there? Those delightful intelligent life forms we’re so sure of finding may have nuked themselves out of existence by now!
I say we send all of the liberals to check out the new planet. The offer of free anal probes is one they can’t resist. With Obama, Reid, and Pelosi piloting we will nevfer see them again.
1. Ship libearls into space.
2….
3. Profit !
Going there is way too much trouble…..the place is crawling with space hippies, but even travelling at the speed of light, it would take 40 years just to go there, punch one, and come back…better to stick around here and wait for the impeachment hearings/treason trials/executions to get going….besides, MarkMancuso is right…the moon’s gonna get us.
So, wait…how many liberals could fit into this “terminus” of which you speak?
I think it would be wrong to send our hippies there. what if there is no one there to punch them? Then smelly space hippies go unpunched for years. I don’t want to be responsible for that.
Couldn’t !science come up with something more profound than Goldilocks??? Might as well call it the hello kitty zone for cris’sakes.
I say we build a starship Mayflower, move there as pilgrim colonists, and set up dinosaurs with rocket launchers to shoot down any hippies that try to follow. If only the Mayflower pilgrims had remembered that last step, America would have probably turned out quite all right.
It’s a heavy gravity world orbiting a red sun?
Life on the surface is harsh, but possible?
They’ve discovered Krypton!
Ahhhh, springeraz, that’s the age old argument against space exploration: “How can we afford to travel in space to punch hippies when we have our own hippies here that need punching?”
Don’t forget the ‘twin paradox’ and time dialation.
Put a few dollars in the bank at a compound interest rate before you go,
and you’ll have enough to pay for the trip. – before taxes, that is.
So buy your ticket on credit.
The way to reach it would be hyping it. If the interests gains ground, more people will devote time and finances to it. If technologies increase and can gain proof of something (water on the planet?) interest would gain ground even more.
When there’s a goal in sight, people can do amazing things.
Don’t worry, we’ll get there. Like any good viral life form, we can mutate. But watch because hippies mutate into future politicians. Conservatives mutate into Elmer Fudd.
Yes, but Burmashave, that’s precisely my point. Like my Daddy explained to me long ago, “Springer, when you grow up someday, don’t go flying around space punching hippies when they’re all over the place right here.” He would say these kinds of things, then we’d go out hippie punching, then we’d come back and Mom would make us hot chocolate. And so I decided back then not to be an astronaut, because if you want hot chocolate in outer space you got to make it yourself. And that sucks.