SDF-1

re intergenerational space vessels...

how would that work? I mean... yeah, a society would simply persist on the space ship... but can you imagine being one of those middle generations? say you're in year 680 of traveling, but you're totally aware that your entire purpose is to maintain a space ship and pass on offspring for their offspring's offspring's offspring... to eventually land on some unknown planet. i'd feel some real serious existential angst... and what if you suddenly decided you didn't want to have children?

and what if the generation that lands on the planet decides that their society's persisted happily on the space craft for long enough that they ought to just stay on the space craft... who needs this planet...

how big a space ship are we talking? wouldn't there be some SERIOUS inbreeding?

Another Nathan Fillion show cancelled too soon...

Paras, I was actually thinking the same thing earlier today. I was thinking how it would be funny if today we sent an inter-generational space ship to the planet and it would take like 20,000 years to get there... but by the time they got there they would find the planet was already colonized 16,000 years ago because we developed worm-hole warp technology 4,000 years after they left, hahaha. Wouldn't you pissed? hahahaha

Hi Adrian,
I agree this is problematic. I did not anticipate the visa issues and have always
thought fondly of Canada as the 14th US Colony. I think the only option now would be to
apply for a J-1 visa, but this may take up to 2 months, which would likely cut into your
summer productivity too much. Baylor won't even accept volunteers, not that I would have
suggested that. So I guess we're stuck. I blame Al-qaida. Perhaps we can try again
next summer, but start earlier (e.g. January) on the visa application.

Best regards on your exams,
Dave Spencer

Well damn...

It amazes me how well they're doing finding planets. I remember reading a book on the subject a number of years ago, where the methodology involved, essentially, observing the doppler shift of a star caused by the orbit of a smaller planetary body. It seemed to require an amazing amount of accuracy, just to find Jupiter-sized objects. I'm more than a little curious how they get information on Earth-sized bodies. (The story seemed to indicate that the planet needed to be closer to the star in order to be detectable.)

20.5 light-years, huh? Let's get going. (Although this is probably a problem worthy of optimal slacktitude.)

...unfortunately it's in ... Libra. that's a long drive away.

Tay, Grand Arms tech is still several generations off. Otherwise we would be there by now.

Apparently nobody on myspace cares about this, so I'll share it here instead:

This is cool. Astronomers have discovered a planet which would be potentially habitable for humans. This is the first planet we have discovered where this looks like it could be feasible. Bear in mind however that current technology is nowhere near the point where we can say anything for sure about this planet. But as it stands, it is the only known planet which is BOTH the right size (only 50% larger than earth), AND the right distance from the sun (surface temperatures estimated to be between 0 and 40 degrees celcius). It would be interesting if scientists could determine whether or not it has a largely nitrogen-based atmosphere such as our own.


Anyway, read the full story here:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/1906138.htm



PACK YOUR BAGS. LET'S GO THERE.

Cool: