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Have we already been visited by aliens?

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Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#21

Post by StavrosK »

mrbonner wrote: post #17

I just started to watch the 1993 series Star Trek new generation. The show has some interesting ideas regarding advanced civilizations vs the primitive ones. One of which is called the prime directive prohibiting any star fleet from intervening with the evolution of primitive people. In one of the episodes “who watches the watcher” the USS enterprise travels to planet Minkita 2 for a rescue mission and encounters a p…

You should try DS9 when you're done with TNG. It's very different, but still great. I think they're some of the best shows ever made, especially because they didn't tiptoe around ethical dilemmas, they made them a main part of each episode's plot.

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#22

Post by cpuguy83 »

mrbonner wrote: post #17

I just started to watch the 1993 series Star Trek new generation. The show has some interesting ideas regarding advanced civilizations vs the primitive ones. One of which is called the prime directive prohibiting any star fleet from intervening with the evolution of primitive people. In one of the episodes “who watches the watcher” the USS enterprise travels to planet Minkita 2 for a rescue mission and encounters a p…

You're in for a great ride! Enjoy!

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#23

Post by scott_s »

mig39 wrote: post #19
excitom wrote: post #11

Such an object would function as a sail—one powered by light, rather than by wind. The natural world doesn’t produce sails; people do. What about jellyfish that move about the oceans pushed by wind?

Yeah, I can think of a lot of examples of sails in the natural world. Dandelion seeds, winged tree seeds, etc.

Ballooning spiders as well.

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#24

Post by beamatronic »

mig39 wrote: post #19
excitom wrote: post #11

Such an object would function as a sail—one powered by light, rather than by wind. The natural world doesn’t produce sails; people do. What about jellyfish that move about the oceans pushed by wind?

Yeah, I can think of a lot of examples of sails in the natural world. Dandelion seeds, winged tree seeds, etc.

Even some spiders

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#25

Post by InitialLastName »

leblancfg wrote: post #18
excitom wrote: post #11

Such an object would function as a sail—one powered by light, rather than by wind. The natural world doesn’t produce sails; people do. What about jellyfish that move about the oceans pushed by wind?

s/natural world/inorganic matter/

There are also rocks that do this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#26

Post by biryani_chicken »

mig39 wrote: post #19
excitom wrote: post #11

Such an object would function as a sail—one powered by light, rather than by wind. The natural world doesn’t produce sails; people do. What about jellyfish that move about the oceans pushed by wind?

Yeah, I can think of a lot of examples of sails in the natural world. Dandelion seeds, winged tree seeds, etc.

Flying Squirrels?

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#27

Post by flatiron »

mig39 wrote: post #19
excitom wrote: post #11

Such an object would function as a sail—one powered by light, rather than by wind. The natural world doesn’t produce sails; people do. What about jellyfish that move about the oceans pushed by wind?

Yeah, I can think of a lot of examples of sails in the natural world. Dandelion seeds, winged tree seeds, etc.

I think the comment was poorly worded with “people” and should be “life” which is still an interesting thought.

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#28

Post by flatiron »

sjcoles wrote: post #20
BruceEel wrote: post #12

In the linked chat with Lex Fridman, Loeb also mentioned how such objects are likely to be zipping by essentially all the time. It'd be great if by the time we spot the next one (of whatever nature) we had a probe/robot/something able to catch up with it (or better, catch it!)

If you can figure out how to generate that much delta V you've solved solar system level space travel.

You can at least put something in its way and if it nopes around it to avoid a collision that’s pretty freaking interesting.

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#29

Post by mrbonner »

StavrosK wrote: post #21
mrbonner wrote: post #17

I just started to watch the 1993 series Star Trek new generation. The show has some interesting ideas regarding advanced civilizations vs the primitive ones. One of which is called the prime directive prohibiting any star fleet from intervening with the evolution of primitive people. In one of the episodes “who watches the watcher” the USS enterprise travels to planet Minkita 2 for a rescue mission and encounters a p…

You should try DS9 when you're done with TNG. It's very different, but still great. I think they're some of the best shows ever made, especially because they didn't tiptoe around ethical dilemmas, they made them a main part of each episode's plot.

Ann, the episode about Commander Data being asked to be dissected for the study of his body? Jean Luc brilliantly relates this idea of cloning the entire android to serve human as a tread toward slavery. They are way ahead of us in time.

Re: Have we already been visited by aliens?

#30

Post by brians »

flatiron wrote: post #28
sjcoles wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can figure out how to generate that much delta V you've solved solar system level space travel.

You can at least put something in its way and if it nopes around it to avoid a collision that’s pretty freaking interesting.

And if it shoots back, that’s briefly interesting too.
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