Outer Space Thread

[thrill]

It's been great so far. Has anyone heard? Have the ratings been good?

Apparently they've been solid. Not terrible, not awesome. It does well in the 18-35 demo, too.

[Vidor]

I have really been enjoying "Cosmos". I especially like how it went full-bore for evolution and did not include any caveats for the bible-thumpers.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

The universe as a waterdrop in a waterfall in episode 1 was some of the best imagery usage I've ever seen.

[Vidor]

Discovery Channel announcing a new reality series--competition to land a probe on the moon and get it to travel 500 m. Air date 2015. $20M prize to winner.

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospect ... eality-tv/

[Vidor]

Liquid water on a moon of Saturn

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/idealab/oc ... aturn-moon

[Mary1966]

The discussion of the possibility of intelligent life in outer space was started in the evolution thread, but I've decided to post this here since I think we've moved on to a topic that's more appropriate for this thread.

http://time.com/48208/clinton-aliens-ki ... ?hpt=hp_t4

One of the good things about being an ex-President is that you get to say the kinds of things you could never say when you were still the most powerful person in the world. Take aliens—the space kind. Last night, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, the 42nd prez admitted not only that when he was in the White House he ordered a review of all of the documents related to the long running rumors over aliens landing in Roswell, N.M. in 1947, but that he would not be surprised if we did eventually get a cosmic caller.

“If we were visited someday I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said, “I just hope it’s not like Independence Day,” a reference to the 1996 movie in which aliens do land—and behave very, very badly.

[go birds]

to tack onto the above post:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/strange-weir ... to-6131491

bright light eminating from the surface of mars.

My question is, and this may have been addressed in teh article, but when NASA stumbles across a "phenomenon" like this, why do they not go explore it?

I realize that there are protocols and schedules for more important [expletive] (like search for the possibility of life), but why do they just speculate as to what it is and/or offer a theory, instead of ya know, driving the rover over to it and looking at it.

Granted, it could be nothing, but it also could be something.

This kinda reminds me of the photos of the rock formation that looks like a martian that were released. Go get a close-up to confirm.

I realize this is all easier and said than done, but don't release these pictures to the public, only to allow for them to be speculated on.

[Jocephus]

have we learned nothing from Aliens?

[M1IRONMIKE]

This kinda reminds me of the photos of the rock formation that looks like a martian that were released.

I didn't know that we actually know what a martian looks like

[AdmiralKird]

to tack onto the above post:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/strange-weir ... to-6131491

bright light eminating from the surface of mars.

My question is, and this may have been addressed in teh article, but when NASA stumbles across a "phenomenon" like this, why do they not go explore it?

I realize that there are protocols and schedules for more important [expletive] (like search for the possibility of life), but why do they just speculate as to what it is and/or offer a theory, instead of ya know, driving the rover over to it and looking at it.


I realize this is all easier and said than done, but don't release these pictures to the public, only to allow for them to be speculated on.

It's just not worth it. There's a 99.999999999999999999% chance its just a quirk of technology. We have cameras in orbit, on the ground, and nothing like it has been spotted. All they have to do is go talk to the optical engineers that built the camera and ask them what they think it might be - and they will probably come back with a logical explanation. Mission control will probably train the camera on the position again later, and if there's nothing there once, twice, three times, then its safe to say that whatever it was was just a chance occurrence. Even if they were to go to that spot, there will likely be nothing there.

It's not easy to drive a rover on Mars. The bandwidth to talk to the thing is usually 32 kbits per second, that's slower than a 56k modem. It is driven mostly by computers on the rover, and transmits a lot of its data during periods when the two orbital satellites come into alignment once each a day to increase the bandwidth. Also it takes 10 minutes for any command sent to the rover to get a return signal back on earth. The rover has a finite lifespan, and its on a time schedule to get to other places to investigate the geology of Mars. Rovers also can get stuck, and losing the thing to investigate what is likely a "ghost," would be a waste.