What if re. Alpha Centauri

[STR]

True, but you still haven't posited a rationale for why religious institutions would collapse overnight at the sight of Mr. Worf and his Klink homeboys.

A rationale for human behavior and faith? There is no such a thing in my opinion, so how could I ever posit one?

So...you're arguing you're right, because there's no proof that you could be wrong...or right for that matter.

 

[Myasishchev]

^Of course, to re-spin Venus, you'd have to crash something like Titan, Europa, Ganymede, or Io into it, just as you mention for Mars

There are other ways to impart angular momentum to a planet; mass drivers and asteroid flybys, for example.

Comets or small ice moons would have to be moved to Venus to replace its water, however.

Of course, this is a very long-term project, taking thousands or tens of thousands of years.

Sealed living environments could be constructed more easily on Mars than under the horrendous conditions that exist on the surface of Venus.

Talk about terraforming and "respinning planets" is nonsense - we can't even figure out how to live nondestructively in the environment we evolved in, or even deliberately influence the weather. Science fiction fans love these preposterous notions but in reality we have managed trips of a couple of days to walk around on the surface of the Moon and are not on track to do anything more substantial than that in the foreseeable future. We don't have the first practical clue about how to begin to do any of the things you toss out so casually. We do know a tiny bit about building sealed environments. Even to do this on Mars, of course, would be so costly and complex that it's unlikely to happen for centuries, if ever. And again, none of the people who even try to plan these unlikely expeditions propose going to Venus instead of or ahead of Mars.

The word "terraforming" followed by ludicrous engineering proposals involving moving planetoids out of their orbit is nothing more than hand waving.

Mars is near-term easier to build a yurt on, obviously. So what? No one wants to live in a yurt.

And, sure, there are good arguments to be made that by the time humans can control the environments of either Mars or Venus to the extent where large populations can be maintained there, the need to do so will likely have been rendered moot.

But--assuming for the sake of argument that you want a second Earth--Venus is a far more viable candidate:

1. It is more massive, and has near-Earth surface gravity, which means:
a)humans could live there without microgravity health concerns;
b)it can retain an atmosphere on geological timescales;
2. Venus is closer to Earth. Launch windows are more frequent. A minor point, but worth making.
3. Venus is closer to the Sun, making it more suited for industrial applications relying on free solar energy, or the development of a planetary biosphere, than Mars.
4. Venus has a potential magnetic field. Mars does not.

All that said, of course there's no point in trading one gravity well for another. But if there was going to be a project to seriously transform either Mars or Venus into an Earthlike planet, it seems obvious to choose the one which is already most Earthlike.

 

[Tiberius]

^^^ A good point. We are already aware of a wealth of resources in our own solar system and we haven't even begun to exploit those. If we ever branch out into interstellar exploration, it will be after we at least attempt to harness what we have in our own backyard.

The idea of treating our own solar system as "exploitable resources" strikes me as a very Ferengi attitude...

You know what I mean...

 

[JarodRussell]

True, but you still haven't posited a rationale for why religious institutions would collapse overnight at the sight of Mr. Worf and his Klink homeboys.

A rationale for human behavior and faith? There is no such a thing in my opinion, so how could I ever posit one?

So...you're arguing you're right, because there's no proof that you could be wrong...or right for that matter.

Dude, all I'm doing here is giving my opinion, and nothing else.

 

[STR]

Of course you were, I was just assuming there was more to the opinion. A broad base, if you will. Without more info, your argument boils down to two premises. If either premise is rejected, the argument falls flat. In order to be correct, both premises must be true, a logical weakness in the philosophical sense of the term.

I was really seeking a deeper understanding of your view. The last explanation you gave was a rhetorical brick wall.

 

[Pauln6]

Because every lame ass religion is totally geocentric. Did Jesus die for the sins of Alpha Centaurians, too? Will Osama bin Laden declare Holy War against the infidels from Vega?

"Perhaps" is the obvious answer to both of your questions. If you believe God created the whole universe and Jesus died for all sins, why would that belief not extend to the Alpha Centaurians? If you believe you belong to a chosen people charged with purging all creation of infidels, why would the Vegans be excluded?

AP:

God Wondering Whatever Happened To That Planet Where He Made All Those Monkeys

HEAVEN– Reminiscing Monday, God wondered aloud what happened to "that one planet I made, like, four and a half billion years ago, the one with all the monkeys." "Man, I haven't thought about that planet in forever," God said. "I have no idea why it suddenly popped into My head. I remember it was really crude, one of My weaker early efforts, back when I was experimenting with the oxygen atmospheres and those ridiculous carbon-based lifeforms. And I was on that whole upper-primate kick. Huh." God said He couldn't remember the planet's name but was pretty sure it was "something like Ursh or Orth or maybe Ert."

And what does God have against Vegans anyway? Is it because she designed other animals to be eaten by the monkeys? Odd since monkeys are largely vegan - design flaw? Maybe God expected soya to become the dominant life form?

Stop picking on the vegans - they're too weak to defend themselves!

 

[JarodRussell]

Not Vegans! Vegans!

 

[JarodRussell]

Just for fun, lets say after all the planet hunting we discover an Earth like planet in the Alpha Centauri system in the not too distant future. Ok, so it's there. How would that affect the Human race? Would it change anything?

It might speed up human body evolution.
Currently Human bodys are not meant for Space Adventures. They are just to fragile for that.


In order to explore Space and Beyond we first need to evolve in to something that would be more friendly to Space. That can take on extrem tempretures and pressures and be abel to survive in open space.

I... don't think that evolution... works the way you imagine...

 

[Myasishchev]

Maybe he means directed evolution.

 

[Kain]

If we find life around Alpha Centauri, the closest star to Earth, that would mean that life is probably abundant in the Galaxy. And if life is almost everywhere, that would mean that a technologically advanced civilization is not too far away. I don't think that's the case for various reasons, but if it was, the notion itself that intelligent alien life could be much closer than we think would probably boost th governments or even some reach guys to fund an interstellar space program, even a new space race.

Now, that would just be awsome!