Curiosity Lander Thread

[Speed]

Speed. that was very well spoken!:thumbup:

 

Actually, I digressed so badly that I forgot the main point: we have the technology to start developing such a mission, but we simply lack the money. I donno what the cost would be, probably somewhere on the order of $1B-10B.

 

And then of course, what is almost certainly an extraterrestrial liquid water ocean, with likely geothermal energy sources, only like 500M miles away under the ice of Europa (a moon of Jupiter). Extraterrestrial life might just be sitting there on the surface, frozen in the water ice "rocks". Can't get money to do that one either.

[Speed]

The low res version of the landing video has been beamed back!

http://www.space.com/16961-curiosity-rover-s-descent-images-reach-earth-video.html

 

Over the coming days and maybe weeks, it will be sending us back more frames from the video, and many times the resolution :)

[Bucic]

[Invader ZIM]

I think the aliens haven't invaded because their economy is only using 0.5% of their fiscal budget toward space exploration.

 

Meanwhile, on the same alien planet I envision 99.9% of the aliens population hopping into their cool steam powered automobiles as they kiss their wives goodbye and head off to work, just like most of us do.

 

[Pilotasso]

Yea, it's pretty sad, isn't it?

 

We have the technology, or know how to develop the technology fairly quickly, to fly a large space interferometry mission within 10-20 years that could capture the spectral fingerprints of any habitable worlds out to a few dozen light years, if not more. It could even prove to a high certainty the existence of life on them, because, if you have the spectrum, then it becomes possible to detect biological activity on the surface- you look for atmospheres that are not in chemical equilibrium. For example, for like the past 1.5 billion years, Earth's spectral signature (specifically, very abundant O2) has been screaming "HABITABLE PLANET WITH A LARGE BIOSPHERE" out into interstellar space for any intelligent civilization to see. The fact that, in all that time, aliens haven't arrived to subjugate our planet makes all the Hollywood alien invasion flicks even that more ridiculous. :D

 

Anyway, I severely digress...

 

I kinda disagree, bear with me:

 

Its possible that we already have been discovered by alien races, we just didnt discovered them yet, we just dont know.

 

Also fighting over our planet in this galaxy would be like having 2 fleas fighting over a dog.

 

Yet another reason, move an army around the interstellar space is simply put, horredously expensive, when the material that makes earth are wideley available throught the universe.

 

Even if they did send a search and destroy mission, it would be much simpler to wipe out humanity with an engineered plague.

 

If the aliens found those methods to be too barbaric and wasteful they could even bring us to submition by infiltratrating themselves, because if they can travel between systems they surely would be better hiding than our capacity to find out what they are up to.

 

The chances of an actual invasion is even smaller than the existence of a civilazation close by.

[cichlidfan]

I think aliens are seeing all the 'reality' programming radiating from the planet and, as a result, just don't want to have anything to do with us. ;)

[PlainSight]

Actually, I digressed so badly that I forgot the main point: we have the technology to start developing such a mission, but we simply lack the money. I donno what the cost would be, probably somewhere on the order of $1B-10B.

 

And then of course, what is almost certainly an extraterrestrial liquid water ocean, with likely geothermal energy sources, only like 500M miles away under the ice of Europa (a moon of Jupiter). Extraterrestrial life might just be sitting there on the surface, frozen in the water ice "rocks". Can't get money to do that one either.

 

Space program doesn't make influential people even more rich and powerful, like bailouts and wars do, so it sits lower on the priority list.

 

This mission cost only 2 billion and look what they achieved! We are all proud of them. Now imagine giving THEM 1 trillion instead wasting it on banksters/war profiteers.

[Pilotasso]

First low res video of the landing!

 

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?collection_id=14483&media_id=149974611&module=homepage

 

hope they release a higher res later on.

[GGTharos]

Are you kidding me? They're probably glued to their entertainment sets waiting ont he next episode of 'The Bold and the Beautiful', and loving Chef Ramsey :D

 

"It's raw! IT'S RAW! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?" :D

 

I think aliens are seeing all the 'reality' programming radiating from the planet and, as a result, just don't want to have anything to do with us. ;)

[GGTharos]

With that kind of money we might have had a base on the moon and a man on Mars.

 

This mission cost only 2 billion and look what they achieved! We are all proud of them. Now imagine giving THEM 1 trillion instead wasting it on banksters/war profiteers.

[Pilotasso]

Bad management in my country has wasted enough money to send 65 rovers to mars or the equivalent or 26 Nimitz class supercarriers. :D Its just apalling that exploration is in reality at a very low priority in all coutreis (we only sent a small satelite so far because it was "expensive") when so much more money is wasted criminally.

 

A little better management and we would be able to do so much more while contracting so much less debt...damn

[Speed]

It may be that interstellar space flight is not done by advanced civilizations on a regular basis simply because it is very expensive, and there is not as much motivation to do it as we might think. Once a civilization acquires the technology and the resources to actually attempt an interstellar voyage, it may have also solved the problem of self-sustaining colonies in space. If your colony can sustain itself using just the materials mined from an asteroid or comet, and the energy derived from say, nuclear fusion, then the motivation to leave your home system is much reduced. Why do you need to find a new home? You don't need to, you can live anywhere.

[Bucic]

I wondered where IT has solar panels. Turned out it uses a generator. The curious thing is it's... Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). For a moment I thought I was lost and got to Homeworld Wiki!

[EtherealN]

It may be that interstellar space flight is not done by advanced civilizations on a regular basis simply because it is very expensive, and there is not as much motivation to do it as we might think.

 

Meh, my favourite theory is that we're a sort of nature reserve.

 

"Oh, look at them! How cute! Let's cordon this area off and study these little critters from afar. Might even make a good reality show!" :D

 

EDIT: Also, someone needs to make another Homeworld game.

[RIPTIDE]

[Namenlos Ein]

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2012/08/06/94434/

 

 

 

 

[HiJack]

They sure have grown ;)

[cichlidfan]

Meh, my favourite theory is that we're a sort of nature reserve.

 

"Oh, look at them! How cute! Let's cordon this area off and study these little critters from afar. Might even make a good reality show!" :D

 

 

Twilight Zone or Outer Limits...can't recall which. Humans in an alien zoo.

[Corrigan]

They sure have grown ;)

 

 

;)

[asparagin]

To NASA: next time duct-tape an i-phone on your robot and give us some proper pics :P

[Pilotasso]

[HiJack]

 

;)

To the moon? And its not a rower ;)

[Speed]

Nice pic there, Pilotasso, and I see, it looks like they're starting to receive the full resolution images taken during the landing:

 

That should be the resolution of every frame of the landing "movie" once all the images come down :)

[Speed]

I wondered where IT has solar panels. Turned out it uses a generator. The curious thing is it's... Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). For a moment I thought I was lost and got to Homeworld Wiki!

 

The problem is, from what I've read, the US is either running out, or has already run out of the Plutonium 238 that we need to make RTGs (radioisotope thermoelectric generators). Unless we want to launch a full nuclear reactor (funding for research on nuclear reactors for deep space missions was recently cut from NASA's budget too), RTGs are absolutely required for missions beyond Mars, where there is too little sunlight to power a spacecraft. Plutonium 238 has no applications besides RTGs (that I know of, at least). Unfortunately, Congress has not given the go-ahead to resume Plutonium 238 production. The US might have to buy the Plutonium 238 for the next mission from Russia, and Russia's supply is dwindling too. If Congress doesn't approve the resumption of Plutonium 238 production, then exploration beyond Mars will simply no longer be possible in the near future, unless Russia decides to bail out NASA again by resuming production themselves.

 

Though, I suppose, any state with nuclear power might also be able to make the stuff for us.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Speed

[celticcoho]

Speed, you must have a great Security Clearance to know what we have and don't have?, but interesting all the same!:music_whistling: Cheers all!! I sure the truth would not be posted here!!!!

Edited August 9, 2012 by celticcoho