Would be funny if it stopped and reversed course after we pinged it with radio signals.
Or as in the movie "Independence day", if it continued towards us by slowing down
Astronomy / Space Asteroid or Spaceship? - Astronomers check out ‘Oumuamua.
- Thread starter Para Handy
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Or as in the movie "Independence day", if it continued towards us by slowing down
So when can we expect results from the scans?
It would be.......earth changing if it proved not to be 'normal', but i'm inclined to think it is going to be a simple asteroid. The 'aliens' when they come will most likely be impossible to detect, just due to the staggering gap in technology you need to be at to travel between stars comfortably, assuming they are not benign 'helpful' beings that would likely give plenty of advanced warning (to avoid our military reactions etc).
It would be.......earth changing if it proved not to be 'normal', but i'm inclined to think it is going to be a simple asteroid. The 'aliens' when they come will most likely be impossible to detect, just due to the staggering gap in technology you need to be at to travel between stars comfortably, assuming they are not benign 'helpful' beings that would likely give plenty of advanced warning (to avoid our military reactions etc).
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Aliens with hugely advanced tech, yet advanced piece of kit stumples and rotates randomly in space. Yes.
I'm sorry, but to me this theory is as ridiculous as crashing Cassini into Saturn because the microbes on it may 'infect' alien life on Saturn's moons.
Aliens with hugely advanced tech, yet advanced piece of kit stumples and rotates randomly in space. Yes.
I'm sorry, but to me this theory is as ridiculous as crashing Cassini into Saturn because the microbes on it may 'infect' alien life on Saturn's moons.
Perhaps you should write to Avi Loeb, professor of astronomy at Harvard University and tell him that you should do his job as he (and his colleagues) are "ridiculous".
I think you could at least have read the quote in my post #15 even if you couldn't be bothered to read the linked article.
Cassini was not crashed to avoid "infecting alien life" - but to avoid introducing any contamination that would interfere with or invalidate future scientific study investigating the presence (or past presence) of organisms or organic precursors. To quote from NASA: "... plunged Cassini into the planet to ensure Saturn's moons remain pristine for future exploration—in particular, the ice-covered, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus, but also Titan, with its intriguing pre-biotic chemistry."
Of course the Huygens probe had already been landed on Titan - perhaps the results from there reinforced the decision to avoid contaminating Enceledus?
Perhaps you should write to Avi Loeb, professor of astronomy at Harvard University and tell him that you should do his job as he (and his colleagues) are "ridiculous".
I think you could at least have read the quote in my post #15 even if you couldn't be bothered to read the linked article.
Cassini was not crashed to avoid "infecting alien life" - but to avoid introducing any contamination that would interfere with or invalidate future scientific study investigating the presence (or past presence) of organisms or organic precursors. To quote from NASA: "... plunged Cassini into the planet to ensure Saturn's moons remain pristine for future exploration—in particular, the ice-covered, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus, but also Titan, with its intriguing pre-biotic chemistry."
Of course the Huygens probe had already been landed on Titan - perhaps the results from there reinforced the decision to avoid contaminating Enceledus?
Checking that thing with whatever tools we have, sure, even hinting at that it could be of alien origin is hugely ridiculous and unprofessional. Even if there are alien space probes reasonably close, what are the chances that this one -the first one we know about- is one of them among trillions and trillions of space rock drifting through the galaxy?
About Cassini: I chose the words with a tongue in-cheek. The chance Enceladus bears life is incredibly minuscule, also the chance of Cassini carrying anything that could revive and multiply in an extreme environment after surviving a crash and travelling 20 years in space is also microscopic (though probably higher than the chance of alien life at Enceladus). The chance of both events occuring simultaneously is -yes- ridiculously small. I can't believe the same mission control allowed Cassini to pass by Earth 'risking' a minor nuclear contamination.
Why scientists make these claims? Because it makes headlines and it keeps the public interested. However, I think deliberate seeding (engineered) life from Mars to Enceladus would be fantastic.
It's the obvious book to think of, of course. Sadly this rock was way too small (just 400 * 40m) and tumbling end over end rather than rotating neatly around its long axis.