Where are you going for vacation?

[TacitBlue]

I've been reading a lot about this (I'm on a space kick ) and I've determined this: It's amazing that this planet probably has water and might support life. BUT, even if we built a

[Cobra]

I say look closer, there are solar systems within five light-years of earth, couldn't a probe reach one of them within a lifetime?

uhmmm No. Consider the fact that the speed of light is about 3 x 10^8 m/s ... and the fastest speed humans have so far achieved in space (correct me if im wrong) was 18 x 10^3 m/s (40,000mph) on one of the Apollo missions. So in short no. Well, not within our life times anyway, untill space/propulsion technologies improve somewhat.

By my calculations (LOL which are nearly always wrong, I suck at maths) it would take that means it would take about 83000 years to get to a planet 5light years away at that speed, so again...nah

[dcunning30]

I think if we could scrounge enough dilitheum crystals, we could make it.

[Rifleman]

"Klaatu Barado Nikto..."

Careful what you say to Gort, Sean.........you know what he did last time someone said that to him...........

[expat]

I think if we could scrounge enough dilitheum crystals, we could make it.

Don't forget plasma injectors too

Matt

[murjax]

Now this would be a pricy vacation and you would have to wait probably at least 100 years for the technology to develop enough so we can travel that far. I give the average ticket price probably around $1,000,000,000,000.

[Wing Nut]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

If there is life 'out there,' and I have NO doubt in my mind that there is, then it most likely has developed in such a way that we might not even recognize it as life.  Imagine a life-form that has developed on a Jupiter type world.  Would we even consider something that looks like a cloud that communicates through moisture as life?  Even if it were recognizable, the odds we could communicate are just as bad.

Second, given the history of man, what on Earth (no pun intended) makes you think we should even TRY contacting other species?  We cannot even solve our own problems without resorting to killing each other; what makes you think we would do any better with them?  More likely we would find some handy excuse to conquer them for their resources.  God forbid they have OIL!  Anyone remember the American Indian?

Everyone speaks of contact as if it will be the answers to all of our problems.  'These aliens with their great technology will fix everything for us' is the attitude.  I say solve our problems HERE and by ourselves and prove our maturity as a species before we contact others; otherwise we might find we are nothing but a joke to them.

[H]

...we might find we are nothing but a joke to them.

Entertainment, the main reason they cavort our skies.

8-)

[expat]

Second, given the history of man, what on Earth (no pun intended) makes you think we should even TRY contacting other species?  

Unfortunately when we do make contact it will most likely be via what we broadcast over the airwaves. The first thing to be broadcast over the airwaves (and still travelling into outer space) was Adolf Hitlers TV broadcast from the 1932 Olympics in Berlin.

Matt