Posted May 21, 2011 If they are exosolar and weren't cast out of their solar systems, there would be nothing but Hydrogen and Helium to build the planets. This is like trying to build a sandcastle in the middle of the ocean. This isn't a matter of not having information, and making assumptions, it's a matter of the facts we know about planets and where elements heavier than Helium come from (star death). It doesn't take being an expert to know what to expect based on what we know so far. It doesn't mean there isn't a possibility of exceptions and things we haven't seen before, but before we start thinking there's millions of little Earths wandering on their own with some form of life on them, having never been in a Solar System, we need to consider the precedent that brought us to this understanding. -K- I think that life is pretty resilient we never give it enough credit it could be any where maybe even live in gaseous environments? I just wish we had warp drive already so we could go explore these places and find out Share this post Link to post
Posted May 21, 2011 I think that life is pretty resilient we never give it enough credit it could be any where maybe even live in gaseous environments? I just wish we had warp drive already so we could go explore these places and find out You're still kinda missing the point. On a planet like Jupiter, that has elements other than Hydrogen and Helium available, life is "potentially possible" but "unlikely". On a gas giant made ENTIRELY of Hydrogen and Helium, life isn't really possible. Helium doesn't react with other elements, besides nuclear fusion, which requires that it be in the center of a non-failed star to happen. That leaves life to be entirely Hydrogen based... And no matter how you organize a bunch of Hydrogen atoms, you aren't going to make it alive (to get even more technical, since Hydrogen can only naturally make a bond with 1 other atom, usually resulting in bonding to itself when a more suitable "mate" isn't around, you'd be limited to trying to make a being out of 2 atoms maximum). So unless these planets can somehow get heavier elements out there without the presence of stars or have been colonized by life from another planet, they're pretty much guaranteed to not have any life. :/ -K- Share this post Link to post
Posted May 21, 2011 You're still kinda missing the point. On a planet like Jupiter, that has elements other than Hydrogen and Helium available, life is "potentially possible" but "unlikely". On a gas giant made ENTIRELY of Hydrogen and Helium, life isn't really possible. Helium doesn't react with other elements, besides nuclear fusion, which requires that it be in the center of a non-failed star to happen. That leaves life to be entirely Hydrogen based... And no matter how you organize a bunch of Hydrogen atoms, you aren't going to make it alive (to get even more technical, since Hydrogen can only naturally make a bond with 1 other atom, usually resulting in bonding to itself when a more suitable "mate" isn't around, you'd be limited to trying to make a being out of 2 atoms maximum). So unless these planets can somehow get heavier elements out there without the presence of stars or have been colonized by life from another planet, they're pretty much guaranteed to not have any life. :/ -K- Seriously just leave me alone already so what if I've missed "your" point I'm just trying to have some fun here in thinking about what could be out there. Odds are we're never going to know so what's the harm in having some fun in thinking about it? Obviously you think it's more fun to be mr-know-it-all rather then look on the lighter side and yeah I may be no life expert but I'm allowed to have my opinions and I don't care if you think they're wrong. Share this post Link to post
Posted May 21, 2011 Seriously just leave me alone already so what if I've missed "your" point I'm just trying to have some fun here in thinking about what could be out there. Odds are we're never going to know so what's the harm in having some fun in thinking about it? Obviously you think it's more fun to be mr-know-it-all rather then look on the lighter side and yeah I may be no life expert but I'm allowed to have my opinions and I don't care if you think they're wrong. Keep in mind that you are posting in the "Science" thread, not the "Sci-fi" thread. This thread is for facts, not fiction. Don't take it too personally that people are posting hard science. ;3 Share this post Link to post
Posted May 21, 2011 Remember to debate and discuss points, not debate or attack users. If you need to step out of the thread and calm down or simply need to leave the conversation, no one will blame you. :3 Share this post Link to post
Posted May 21, 2011 Keep in mind that you are posting in the "Science" thread, not the "Sci-fi" thread. This thread is for facts, not fiction. Don't take it too personally that people are posting hard science. ;3 I know I suppose I'm just to much of a sci-fi nut sorry guys Share this post Link to post
Posted May 30, 2011 I'm a science nut! For who's interested, i started a thread of the ORBITER Space Flight Simulator on the forum games. It also has a tutorial for installation and where to find good add-ons. Share this post Link to post
Posted June 1, 2011 It's related awesomeness, even if it isn't technically science itself... Share this post Link to post
Posted June 1, 2011 I think I've seen that! Damn that man's voice... Gets a bit nasally towards the end, but only a little. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 14, 2011 So. It appears NASA is now done with manned space flights. What do the people with far more knowledge about this think? Share this post Link to post
Posted July 14, 2011 NASA isnt done, we're just gonna be carpooling with the Russians. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 15, 2011 NASA isnt done, we're just gonna be carpooling with the Russians. Indeed. The only reason that NASA is "done" is because it takes too much government money and people are whining about the government squandering money. So the government made cuts. And NASA got cut. It also generates zero money. Unfortunately we can't make money from the moon. So it's kind of a money pit... It's just unfortunate that science always gets cut first (well, art, then science). Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 So. It appears NASA is now done with manned space flights. What do the people with far more knowledge about this think? I think Humanity has taken two steps backwards. Fifty years ago we were putting people on the Moon. Now we don't even bother to get into orbit. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 So. It appears NASA is now done with manned space flights. What do the people with far more knowledge about this think? Idiocracy Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 Fifty years ago we were putting people on the Moon. Now we don't even bother to get into orbit. The problem is that we've got a country on the brink of collapse economically. It takes $1.7 billion for a space shuttle, not to mention all the fuel. For everything someone takes with them, including clothes, rations, etc -- it costs another $20,000 per pound. The US does not have enough money to even think about space trips. It's Maslow's hierarchy of needs. If you're trying to keep a house from collapsing you can't spend all the money on the roof and none on the walls or supports. And canobiecrazy is right, we're carpooling to save money. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 That's the excuse now. What's the excuse the last fifty years? Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 The Cold War, at least partially. Gotta show off to all the little countries. /sarcasm Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 I think funding/money has always been an issue. Especially here in the US because our government has no clue on how to spend money effectively. This is why my state funded school got a new athletics building with state of the art equipment before the science building got updated (and, the science building was actually voted on and they just decided one day to build an in-door american football field. They spent around $15million of taxpayer and tuition money without asking or voting on it....) And we (the science building) don't have up-to-date equipment at all. The school ran out of money building the field. I don't have anything against people playing sports, but very few people actually get jobs in professional sports where many people get jobs in science. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 My school put in a $10 million stadium a couple years ago on a government grant. My chemistry teacher this year coined the term "Ghetto Chemistry" when he had us experimenting with 3M HCl in plastic cups because we didn't have enough beakers. The regular chem classes didn't have money for textbooks, so they just didn't use them. We totally have our priorities straight Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 So I assist in this cooking class for kids at the arts center in town, and today we made ice cream using liquid nitrogen and dry ice. It was probably the best day EVER. As for the space program: Pooh on NASA. Let's start privatized space programs and send people to Mars! Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 As for the space program: Pooh on NASA. Let's start privatized space programs and send people to Mars! Ugh... I grew up watching the documentary movie Moon Shot. Apollo 13 and The Right Stuff were both major parts of my childhood. I grew up on three different Star Trek series. Alongside were the classics by Asimov, Heilein, and Herbert. From this perspective, private space exploration just isn't the same. We (humanity) "should" be doing it for the wealth of knowledge and experience, not the wealth of a bank account. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 21, 2011 ... And we can only attain that wealth of knowledge by having the government run the program? Share this post Link to post
Posted July 22, 2011 This is old news, but it's apparently possible to produce plastic from poop using certain microbes. Yes, this is real. Their robust bugs eat the sludge, get really fat, and that fat turns into a form of polyester. Then, Bissell says, the bugs are killed and the polyester is extracted. This polyester is part of a family of plastics called polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHA. Here's more on what they do. Personally I love this idea. It takes care of waste while making something useful out of it. And, it'll help us produce plastic when the oil eventually runs out. Also, if you're not from sub-Saharan Africa, you've got Neanderthal DNA. Knowing that I've got Neanderthal genes makes me happy for absolutely no sensible reason. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 22, 2011 Still, you would think at a college level they would be more focused on academics. (but of course, it's not true) My dad pointed out that space travel did come up with one genius money maker: Satellites. How many of you would have any kind of internet or phone capabilities without space exploration. Share this post Link to post
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