Scientists to unveil new Earth-like planet

[BannedForViews]

Science has no need to do that. The need is on the other side.

Is this so? How do you figure.

[Forogil]

A small probe propelled by a several gigawatt orbital laser could maybe achieve .20c but we're a bit away from that

Yes, but I don't know how safe that will - it will collide with a lot of atoms, since the density is something like 1 atom per cubic centimeter.

However, it will take 20 years at that speed - the other approach tens of thousands of year; it seems that the fastest solution is to invent something in-between that in the meantime.

[JCD000]

Just another attempt from science to write off a creator, nothing will come from this. I am curious tho, what will be the dagger that shows we are the only life in the cosmos? Would a trip to one of jupiters moons be enough?

^ Doesn't understand anything about space or its size.

[Medusa Cascade]

Yes, but I don't know how safe that will - it will collide with a lot of atoms, since the density is something like 1 atom per cubic centimeter.

However, it will take 20 years at that speed - the other approach tens of thousands of year; it seems that the fastest solution is to invent something in-between that in the meantime.

We also have the communication problem. Shame we've only started researching quantum entanglement

[Gurluas]

We have propulsions in development that may reach the star in 80-100 years. But the main issue remains communication. The signal would be mostly degraded by the time it came back to Earth. Unless we use some high powered laser or something. And then theres the power issue. A lot has to be overcome, but still, going to Proxima centauri is still the most achievable goal.

[Ifeanychukwu]

I think about this kind of thing a lot. I don't we need to trying to figure out how to travel at ludicrous speeds in order to reach these planets. It's not feasible to attempt to travel at the kind of speed it would take to get to one of these solar systems while we currently can't travel much more than 20-30k mph. I think instead as the human species, we should be trying to extend our lifetimes. The only way we can hope to discover the mysteries of the universe is for people to live long enough to either discover a suitable means of space travel or a way to make time a non-issue.

I personally feel the best way to do this would be to merge with machines. It sounds like science fiction and bullshit but just imagine if we no longer had to worry about biological restraints and could live on for an indefinite period of time. Then it wouldn't matter how long it would take to travel to other solar systems. All the while you could be learning more and more, most likely exponentially and collecting rare/unknown elements to aid in advancing technology.

[May90]

Surprising you would say that because no matter where we look into the universe from an earth based perspective everything is red shifted. Even when hubble first looked out of his telescope he said something like this:

"at first glance you would imagine the earth to be the center of the universe, but that is of course preposterous"

Not an exact quote obviously, but even the FIRST guy to look out thought this.

No matter where you look into the Universe from any point in that Universe, everything will appear red-shifted. This is not exclusive to Earth. Just like the "axis of evil" is not exclusive to Earth; among countless planets all over the Universe, you bet there are billions those for which the equator axis is aligned with the CMB anomaly.

I'm not sure how you concluded from anything that Earth was special. If Earth is special, then countless other objects and points are special as well, and then what does "special" even mean?

How did we go from talking about whether Earth was the center of the universe to whether the universe was created?
The universe may very well have been designed by something, in fact there are some hypothesis that our entire universe is a simulation by some higher beings.
But that's completely irrelevant to the current discussion. One thing is almost certain though, this "creator" assuming it exists, (for while we can theorize on the complexity of the universe we cannot prove the creator) is most certainly unrelated to any Earth religions.

This is actually interesting. What if we are a simulation by a higher being, who decided to implement the knowledge about themselves into the first human beings, which then passed that knowledge to others, which resulted in multiple religions, interpreting the same ancient knowledge? I think it is an interesting basis for a sci-fi story!

[Azadina]

I personally feel the best way to do this would be to merge with machines. It sounds like science fiction and bullshit but just imagine if we no longer had to worry about biological restraints and could live on for an indefinite period of time. Then it wouldn't matter how long it would take to travel to other solar systems. All the while you could be learning more and more, most likely exponentially and collecting rare/unknown elements to aid in advancing technology.

Fantastic idea....If you intend to cause people massive psychological problems. Before you start transferring peoples consciousness to foreign bodies, maybe you should ask near examples how it's working out, when the body and the mind do not match. Some trans person might answer your question on how well it works. Or you can google how well it goes generally.

[Medusa Cascade]

Fantastic idea....If you intend to cause people massive psychological problems. Before you start transferring peoples consciousness to foreign bodies, maybe you should ask near examples how it's working out, when body and the mind do not match. Some trans person might answer your question on how well it works. Or you can google how well it goes generally.

We'll find out after the head transplant happens

[wooters]

Just another attempt from science to write off a creator, nothing will come from this. I am curious tho, what will be the dagger that shows we are the only life in the cosmos? Would a trip to one of jupiters moons be enough?

wow....... you know, even if we find intelligent life on a planet somewhere. the question of a creator isn`t even relevant, because it wouldn`t change a god damn thing. it`s just one more race asking themselves the same questions. fascinating post though

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Simple: we use a slingshot around the star/planet to make the it reverse course and get the camera back. And have it lay dormant until it reaches proxima centauri.

We could also consider using solar panels at the destination.

But it will take a very very long time - like tens of thousands years with Voyager speeds; and if we travel too fast those ideas will probably not work (and since the star regularly flares it may burn anyway).

20 light years...isn`t that something like 300.000 years with voyager speeds

[Azadina]

We'll find out after the head transplant happens

Is it from one gender to opposite? There's more to identity problems than just gender, but gender is a major part. As for the transferring of human minds to mechanical bodies... About only those rare few who identify themselves as genderless, or even more rare I've never even heard of, someone identifying themselves as mechanical, would have a chance at mentally accepting such a transfer. Everyone else would just be screwed so badly, that it's not a funny idea.

[Deleted]

Is this so? How do you figure.

Scientists don't build buildings wherein they spread the message of there not being a creator.

Scientists don't go door to door, handing out pamphlets, spreading the message of there not being a creator.

[May90]

20 light years...isn`t that something like 300.000 years with voyager speeds

Might be longer, since on such distances, I'd expect, ISM friction might slow Voyager down some.

[Cerus]

Just another attempt from science to write off a creator, nothing will come from this. I am curious tho, what will be the dagger that shows we are the only life in the cosmos? Would a trip to one of jupiters moons be enough?

Human arrogance at its finest. Talk about being a special snowflake. Way to inject your religion into this thread in an obvious attempt to get it locked.

[Jester Joe]

Maybe the warning was missed the first time by people coming in to see the first page, but yet again, the topic at hand is not religion, since that's a forbidden topic anyway. Back on topic, derailments will be hit with infractions since this is the 2nd warning.

[I Push Buttons]

Once we solve the aging problem it simply becomes a question of sustainability/reliability and we can go anywhere.

We don't have to go at absurd speeds, we simply need to live long enough to get there at conventional speeds. By conventional speeds I don't mean modern conventional speeds, we would still go pretty damn fast, but I am talking like .01% light speed speeds.

It would still take thousands of years to go several light years at that speed, but thousands of years is a lot better than hundreds of thousands of years and not much in the grand scheme when you don't age. At that point, like I said, it just becomes a matter of having transportation than can reliably last and sustain us for thousands of years in space.

[Ifeanychukwu]

Fantastic idea....If you intend to cause people massive psychological problems. Before you start transferring peoples consciousness to foreign bodies, maybe you should ask near examples how it's working out, when the body and the mind do not match. Some trans person might answer your question on how well it works. Or you can google how well it goes generally.

Well yeah, obviously we don't have the ability to do that yet. I don't think we're anywhere close. I'm a little conservative with how long I think the technology to do this will take to be created. I'm thinking anywhere from 500-1000 years. Technology may be advancing at a crazy rate but we still have no understanding of what the consciousness is or how it works. Much less creating an artificial environment that can simulate the conditions and workings of the brain exactly or to an elevated state even.

Between that obstacle and making the technology readily available for a majority of the people on Earth I don't see this happening any time soon at all. We'll probably leave the planet and set up space stations within our own solar system before this kind of technology exists.

[Kaleredar]

Why the hell is a thread about a potential earth-like planet now discussing body transplants?

[May90]

Maybe the warning was missed the first time by people coming in to see the first page, but yet again, the topic at hand is not religion, since that's a forbidden topic anyway. Back on topic, derailments will be hit with infractions since this is the 2nd warning.

Okay, sorry!

Once we solve the aging problem it simply becomes a question of sustainability/reliability and we can go anywhere.

We don't have to go at absurd speeds, we simply need to live long enough to get there at conventional speeds. By conventional speeds I don't mean modern conventional speeds, we would still go pretty damn fast, but I am talking like .01% light speed speeds.

It would still take thousands of years to go several light years at that speed, but thousands of years is a lot better than hundreds of thousands of years and not much in the grand scheme when you don't age. At that point, like I said, it just becomes a matter of having transportation than can reliably last and sustain us for thousands of years in space.

Going at absurd speeds has the advantage of time contraction: if you go at the speed very close to the speed of light, then theoretically you can pass any distance in as little time as possible. The problem is, coming back will be a bit painful: if you traveled 100,000 light years one way just to attend some festival planned long in advance and came back afterwards, with your flight taking only 1 day one way, then, as you come back, you will see that 200,000 years have passed on your home planet, and everything will look differently; chances are, all your friends and relatives, even if they do not age, have departed to other places, and you won't be able to find them anywhere in the vast Universe and with no means of instantaneous communication.

This makes it very difficult for traveling on distances farther than a few light years to be socially viable. Pretty much, if you go on such a distance, you should be prepared to lose everyone you know (unless they are traveling with you, or unless they can guarantee that they won't leave the star system for the next 10+ years), lose your job, lose your home (after such a long time of absence, your home will probably be resold to someone else), lose everything, except for what you've taken with you. It is good for "eternal travelers", but most people might not be okay with that.

[Kuntantee]

Why wouldn't the creator create life outside the Earth, was it not mentioned in that book you read?

Because that "creator" is made up by the life on Earth?