Are we alone? Tiny spacecraft will head to Alpha Centauri to find out

[Deleted]

That's hilarious.
Goodluck with that mate.

You are Legend, Tom.

[xindralol]

The challenge would be "current" data. After all 4 light years away means it would take that long to get here once it got there. And that's assuming ideal conditions.

unless we can somehow build a wormhole it’ll be approximately 4 years old which I think it very good considering the age of the universe and the time it take for civilizations to change.

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Uh…excuse me. That's not entirely accurate.

haha that’s a great memory

[Unholyground]

It is actually impossible that we are the only life in the universe with how infinitely vast it is.

[Gaexion Ramza Beoulve]

If the dinosaurs had a giant laser

I feel like this is an untapped market.

[Kyphael]

It's terrifying either way in my opinion--if we're alone, or if we're not. If we knew with utmost certainty somehow we were one of a kind, it's kind of a depressing truth to face for space exploration. What's there to explore knowing we're alone, space rocks and minerals? But if we're not alone, that's equally frightening because of what history has shown man will do to an indigenous less intelligent people, or what they could do to us if more advanced and intelligent.

Plus, aside from death, space is the final unexplored frontier for man, we uncover its most mystifying truth (are we alone in the universe?) and what's left?

[Deleted]

Why would Alien life have anything to do with us?

[derpkitteh]

the thing's probably gonna get taken out by some kind of space rock long before it gets there.

but, i hope it works out. i really want there to be other life out there.

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Why would Alien life have anything to do with us?

why not? especially if they're of a similar technology level.

any race that doesn't have the curiosity to be interested in meeting a whole new people from a whole new world probably didn't have the sentience to ascend beyond mudhuts or even being just basic animals.

[avitush]

the thing's probably gonna get taken out by some kind of space rock long before it gets there.

but, i hope it works out. i really want there to be other life out there.

Same. I feel like this mission will likely be a failure, but I want it to succeed.

Considering the size of things, I don't doubt at all that something is out there. 100+ billion stars in our galaxy alone, and that's just one galaxy (out of anywhere from 100 billion to 2 trillion). I imagine that any other life is either similar to us technologically (haven't communicated/visited with us because they can't), or they just dwarf us in every way imaginable and don't have contact with us because they don't want to interfere with things.

I remember there was an "Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Treaty" in the Star Ocean games. It was an agreement among civilizations capable of space travel to not interfere with any less developed planets/civilizations they came across. Basically, you were not to interact with those "underdeveloped" civilizations in any way unless it was accidental (ie, you crash landed on their planet or something), and even then, you kept it down to a minimum. Something like that could very well be a real thing.

http://starocean.wikia.com/wiki/Unde...servation_Pact

UNDERDEVELOPED PLANET PRESERVATION PACT

In order to preserve the peace and security of all intelligent races throughout the universe, and to eliminate any and all the threats to that peace and security, this Pact establishes a set of rules which all intelligent races shall be bound, and which all intelligent races shall unite in enforcing, according to the principles of justice and the laws of the Terran Alliance.

Article I

1. All intelligent life on all planets throughout the universe have the absolute, inalienable right to independent development, free from cultural interference, invasion and other destructive activities by more advanced beings.
2. All intelligent civilizations capable of interference with planets holding other intelligent races, and all members of said civilizations, are strictly prohibited from introducing any cultural, scientific, linguistic, or religious influences which may exceed the level the level of civilization present on such planet.
3. Any act of an intelligent being which violates either of the preceding paragraphs shall be deemed as having disrupted interstellar harmony, and all intelligent races shall have a duty t take united action against the perpetrator of said act.
4. Any intelligent being which, due to accident or as an effect of spacetime phenomena, finds itself unable to avoid interference with a planet or intelligent race whose level of civilization is inferior to its own shall limit the use of its own civilization to that necessary to preserve life, and shall take steps to minimize the effects of its interference on that planet and any intelligent races residing thereon.

[Adam Jensen]

With a large enough laser array and a large enough sail, light can propel a tiny radio to a fraction of the speed of light such that it can cross the 4.5 light year gap in a human-reasonable amount of time (decade or so.)

The problem is, the laser array needs to be really large and will take a lot of energy.

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Sending data back to Earth will be a challenge.

Meh, so long as there isn't much interference, the only big challenge is that the minimum time delay is measured in years.

[Deleted]

It is actually impossible that we are the only life in the universe with how infinitely vast it is.

So what you're saying is, I should believe in something I have never seen?

Hm what does that remind me of.

[P for Pancetta]

With a large enough laser array and a large enough sail, light can propel a tiny radio to a fraction of the speed of light such that it can cross the 4.5 light year gap in a human-reasonable amount of time (decade or so.)

The problem is, the laser array needs to be really large and will take a lot of energy.

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Meh, so long as there isn't much interference, the only big challenge is that the minimum time delay is measured in years.

That's the thing though, there are huge amounts of interference beyond the magnetic field of our sun.

[haxartus]

Meh, so long as there isn't much interference, the only big challenge is that the minimum time delay is measured in years.

Not really. The distance is too large and they can't equip a powerful transmitter and a large antenna on the device due to weight restrictions.

They get about 1kbit/s form Earth to Pluto using two 70 meter antennas and the Pluto probe itself is almost 500kg and has a radioactive plutonium power source, which powers two 12W transmitters.

Alpha Centauri is 10 000 times further away than Pluto, so the signal will be 100 000 000 times weaker. Even highly focused signals can go so far at 4 light years.

The proposed spacecraft will be in the gram scale, so it will definitely not have the two 12W transmitters of the Pluto spacecraft. It will NOT be able to talk back to Earth. There is no current technology that would allow this.

In fact, no spacecraft launched by humans so far will be able to talk to Earth from Alpha Centauri, if you can put it there somehow.

[Unholyground]

So what you're saying is, I should believe in something I have never seen?

Hm what does that remind me of.

No, just from a probability standpoint and how large the visible universe is. Lets not even get into the part of the universe we cannot see anymore because the light can no longer reach us. Plus life was already found that can survive planetary entry and the vacuum of space. Does not mean it will be life as we recognize it either.

[Adam Jensen]

Not really. The distance is too large and they can't equip a powerful transmitter and a large antenna on the device due to weight restrictions.

They get about 1kbit/s form Earth to Pluto using two 70 meter antennas and the Pluto probe itself is almost 500kg and has a radioactive plutonium power source, which powers two 12W transmitters.

Alpha Centauri is 10 000 times further away than Pluto, so the signal will be 100 000 000 times weaker. Even highly focused signals can go so far at 4 light years.

The proposed spacecraft will be in the gram scale, so it will definitely not have the two 12W transmitters of the Pluto spacecraft. It will NOT be able to talk back to Earth. There is no current technology that would allow this.

In fact, no spacecraft launched by humans so far will be able to talk to Earth from Alpha Centauri, if you can put it there somehow.

Then they'd have to find a way to turn it around and bring it back, but if I remember what I've read about light sails, that's pretty much impossible. And even if there was a way, it'd be another decade + long journey to come back with it's payload.

[Shadowferal]

Something that could initiate doppler correction for a faster than light transmission would be needed.

[Deleted]

The problem is, the laser array needs to be really large and will take a lot of energy.

It's not like there is a giant fusion reactor in the middle of our solar system spewing gigantic amounts of mostly wasted energy

the laser array from the surface of the Earth would be a stupid idea anyways

[Deleted]

No, just from a probability standpoint and how large the visible universe is. Lets not even get into the part of the universe we cannot see anymore because the light can no longer reach us. Plus life was already found that can survive planetary entry and the vacuum of space. Does not mean it will be life as we recognize it either.

Still no guarantee. But of course it's possible. I just think a bit of humility is in order when discussing the existence of life in the universe, or deities for that matter. People are often quick to claim certainty in questions they simply cannot.

[Adam Jensen]

It's not like there is a giant fusion reactor in the middle of our solar system spewing gigantic amounts of mostly wasted energy

the laser array from the surface of the Earth would be a stupid idea anyways

The proposed idea I heard about was to build it on the moon.

[Deleted]

The proposed idea I heard about was to build it on the moon.

Moon could work, there is no significant atmosphere that would act as a lense. But Outer Earth orbit would be better because the solar array could stay pointed towards the sun all the time while there would be "nights" on the Moon

[Unholyground]

Still no guarantee. But of course it's possible. I just think a bit of humility is in order when discussing the existence of life in the universe, or deities for that matter. People are often quick to claim certainty in questions they simply cannot.

True, but logic still dictates we are not the only life even if we never see aliens throughout our existence in the universe because of its unfathomable vastness. Or we could be in a simulation and everything is a lie.