Exercise in Mind-Blowment: What if Mars... was Pandora?!

[Gaith]

Just imagine, if the Red Planet were another green one, say (for the sake of common reference) Pandora. I.E., full of life as diverse as Earth's, and with similar atmosphere, and populated by sentient but pre-industrial, Na'vi-like tribes.


A pretty mind-blowing thought, no? Just imagine an alternate timeline:

- Ancient China, c. 1500 BCE: first records of Pandora (I'll just call it that) observed.

- 19... 20s? 30s?: Modern telescopes confirm that the planet teems with life. Many religious folks say it was totally alluded to in the Bible, and changes nothing.

- 1930s-40s: We attempt radio communication with theoretical sentients; hear nothing in return. Many religious folks say, well duh, only Jesus' planet got the thinkers, this is just another island to plunder someday.

- 1950s: Space probes land on Pandora, transmit basic atmospheric analyses.

1980s-90s: More probes land, start to transmit video footage. Eventually, one such transmission captures sentient native activity. (Many religious folks start to wonder if Jesus had an avatar.)

- 21st century: .... ? I suppose one of the biggest questions would be, how fast could we get visitors there? But how would those visitors be chosen, and how would they be instructed to act?


As awesome and wonderful as Planet Earth is, and as satisfied as I am with it, I've gotta admit, it would be pretty awesome to have Pandora in the neighborhood instead of dull ol' Mars (just a cooler Mercury with more ice, right?).

Dang, this is actually making me want to watch Avatar for a second time.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

I didn't even know what Pandora was (in context, of course) until you said Na'vi, and even then I was thinking about the fairy from Ocarina of Time before anything else.

I guess I should get around to seeing that movie someday.

 

[RJDiogenes]

It's not likely Mars could ever be another Pandora. If it were the same size as Earth, like Venus is, it would have retained enough atmosphere to have a greenhouse effect which would increase the possibility of it having life-- but it would still be frozen in a permanent ice age.

Nevertheless, a living Mars would have been much more of an inspiration to the space program than it is now.

 

[Sephiroth]

^if we had a living neighboring world, The space program would have been less of an attempt to spit in Russia's eye and more of an attempt to get some blue, feline-person booty

 

[bigdaddy]

^if we had a living neighboring world, The space program would have been less of an attempt to spit in Russia's eye and more of an attempt to get some blue, feline-person booty

Yeah we would want their sexy blue bodies or their weapons to kill Russians with.

 

[Sector 7]

I would probably take the OP more seriously without the rants against those with religious beliefs. Many people of faith also believe in the possibility of life 'out there'.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ I am one of these people. There's nothing in the Bible that precludes the existence of alien life. I'm fully in support of such life being out there, and I can't wait for us to meet it. Certainly doesn't affect my faith one iota!

I mean, come on. Why would it? Far as I'm concerned, any alien life we happen to meet, will just be more examples of the wonders of God's creation. I doubt He stopped with just us.

 

[bigdaddy]

I hate the fact that "god" is supposed to be a he. If he is the only one of a kind then why would there be gender?

 

[MetalPants]

Because it just seems wrong to refer to the Almighty as an it.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Here's another mind-blowing scenario: What if Avatar was actually a good and original movie?

 

[J.Ashmore]

^ Bahahaaa.


I actually really liked the movie. I bought the collector's edition and it has some pretty sweet stuff on it.

I, too, would think it were awesome if Mars was Pandora, or if there were a Pandora near us. I can't imagine that our little planet is the only one in all the universe to have life on it.

 

[The Castellan]

Maybe there's life there, deep below the ground.

 

[sojourner]

You do realize up until the early 20th century scientists did think Mars had intelligent life? And Venus was a jungle planet? So, not much change in the timeline until you get really good optics and space probes.

 

[ed629]

I would think that if we did have another planet with life on it in our solar system, that technological progress would have occurred much faster. And if life evolved at a similar rate, it would of come down to who was faster and had better technology. We probably would of had spaceflight 50-60 years earlier, and would have started on a way to get there as soon as telescopes let us know there was life on said planet.

 

[MLJames]

For some fiction in this vein, check out two books by S.M. Stirling: The Sky People and In The Courts Of The Crimson Kings. In this universe, both Venus and Mars have life, and the idea of technology advancing differently because of them is touched upon.

 

[Saga]

i suggest the Barsoom series of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Ditto. Those are classics. I just gave the first three to my Nephew for his birthday.

For some fiction in this vein, check out two books by S.M. Stirling: The Sky People and In The Courts Of The Crimson Kings. In this universe, both Venus and Mars have life, and the idea of technology advancing differently because of them is touched upon.

That sounds cool. I hope Venus has Dinosaurs.

 

[MLJames]

Ahh, but that would be telling....

 

[Deckerd]

If Mars had been teeming with life, humans would have got there already.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Just imagine, if the Red Planet were another green one, say (for the sake of common reference) Pandora. I.E., full of life as diverse as Earth's, and with similar atmosphere, and populated by sentient but pre-industrial, Na'vi-like tribes.

...

Would our space programme look something like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08FK7WghHSc#t=0m56s