(OT) Possible extra-solar planet

[William Ronald]

There is a report about a new method that might have detected a planet about one-tenth the size of Jupiter.

The story is at http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/10/26/extrasolar.planet/index.html

The planet, if it exists, orbits Epsilon Eridani, a young red star some 10 light years from Earth. A previous search, I recall, detected a planetary companion in roughly the same size category as Jupiter.

(Babylon 5 fans know that the station orbited a rocky world in the Epsilon Eridani system. Hmm, wonder if the Great Machine is there? )

So, what do you think would be the impact on our society if an Earthlike planet was spotted in another solar system? I know NASA has some plans for more advanced successors to the Hubble Telescope in the works.

I think that there would be a great deal of interest if such a planet were spotted, and possibly a desire to do more with the space program. However, I think that our world would not change too greatly.

 

[Crothian]

I think it will take a much bigger thing then discovering an Earth like world to get people focused on Space again. It used to be that every Shuttle Launch was televised and we would take time out of grade school to watch them, now it seems I lucky to hear of any of the missions or what's going on without actually looking for it.

 

[William Ronald]

You may have a point. There might be some slight improvement in public interest in space exploration. Of course, if there was evidence of intelligent life then there might be more interest.

 

[Crothian]

I don't know what it will take to get interest back. I used to be a big fan or the Sapce program. I went to Space Camp, and Space Academy. I learned about the history and was up on all the shuttles and the astronauts. High school and college really left little time for that hobby, but there was really not much going on new in the 90's that sparked interest. We had the brief interest when they thought they found life on Mars and with the comet breaking up into Jupitor. And there were a few other Space stories that made the news. But now the greater public really has no idea what they are doping in space these days. I can't even tell you what any of the missions were in the past year or so.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

that's actually really cool news, considering most (99%??) of stars have no planets

But now the greater public really has no idea what they are doing in space these days...

maybe it's too bad that n'sync guy didn't go into space. that would've a least sparked some public interest when they turned the trip into a reality show for t.v. (as sad as that is)

 

[Matt Black]

I'm just finishing my thesis for a doctorate in astrophysics, so I tend to get a bit more exposure to big astro news. And it's true - there's less and less these days which grabs the attention of the broader public. This is mostly due to the absence of any new types of manned mission (shuttle flights are so routine now), and also due to the fact that NASA keeps losing its Mars probes.

It probably won't be until the first manned mission to Mars that the whole world sits up and pays attention to space again. This looks like being a long way off. NASA is still spending more money on Mars than any other project, but doesn't have plans for a manned mission yet. It's focussing on finding evidence of previous life on the planet, with a series of robotic probes (one every two years). Eventually these probes will get around looking for fossilised microbes near ancient water erosion features.

The big recent news was in May, when the Mars Odyssey orbiter found huge amounts of water ice just beneath the planet's surface. Good news for sending people there. And there are actually people actively working toward manned missions:

http://www.marssociety.org

Show me where to queue for tickets. Sure, it'd be a three-odd year trip, but just think of the frequent flyer miles.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I hate to put it this bluntly, but it'll take an actual meteorite strike that causes destruction of life and property to spark any real interest in the space program again. Even then, space agencies will have to capitalize on the concerns while they're still elevated, because once time passes, interest will fade once again. I know it sounds cynical, but that's how things seem to be.

 

[tetsujin28]

I get most interested in space when I'm lying outside, drunk out of my mind...

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

My opinion?

I would very much like to be around for the News Event of All News Events:

We discovered a blue-green world around another sun.
We discovered an advanced civilization on that world.
With telescopes and methods unavailable to us currently, we have gained a close up look at this world and it's inhabitants.

Physics allowing, we are making our first verbal contact with that civilization.

- - -

Frankly, the discovery of possible life on Mars was a very major news event, in my opinion.
If it can be proven that life exists, or existed, on Mars, this may not be of much importance to the day to day affairs of most people, but it will be a unique first in the history of mankind.
The theory that life exists beyond Earth, long a matter of speculation, thus confirmed.

 

[The Forsaken One]

We discovered a blue-green world around another sun.

If they would have Gnomes, I'd vote for sterilisation of that world if posible... or just hope they never ever get to learn about our existance..... gnomes scorned.. *shrug*