Never !
Interstellar distances are so great, as to preclude any chance of
travel or practical comunication.
Do the simple math : Time = Distance / Speed
This is why, although intelligent space faring species likely abound throughout the universe, we are never visited by any.
On 2/18/26 12:49, casagiannoni@optonline.net wrote:
Never !
Interstellar distances are so great, as to preclude any chance of
travel or practical comunication.
Do the simple math :-a Time = Distance / Speed
This is why, although intelligent space faring species likely abound
throughout the universe, we are never visited by any.
I mostly agree about the travel.
As we understand the scientific rules, no human will
travel to another 'alien' civilization.
But, if we try, and continue to make progress,
we might indeed communicate with 'alien' life.
There is no reason why we can not in the future
(as our capabilities increase) create
"artificial intelligence" controlled computers
on space ships to go out as explorers, investigators,
and diplomats.
Communications may be possible if we are very patient
and have long time attention.
On 2/18/26 12:49, casagiannoni@optonline.net wrote:
Interstellar distances are so great, as to preclude any chance of
travel or practical comunication.
Do the simple math : Time = Distance / Speed
This is why, although intelligent space faring species likely abound
throughout the universe, we are never visited by any.
I mostly agree about the travel.
As we understand the scientific rules, no human will
travel to another 'alien' civilization.
But, if we try, and continue to make progress,
we might indeed communicate with 'alien' life.
There is no reason why we can not in the future
(as our capabilities increase) create
"artificial intelligence" controlled computers
on space ships to go out as explorers, investigators,
and diplomats.
Communications may be possible if we are very patient
and have long time attention.
Physics and Chemistry advance when someone finally makes the critical >measurement that disproves the old system, ...
I recall reading "somewhere"
that space travel in the future (very, very, very* future) won't involve actually traveling gazillions of light years away but instead, "punching through" the space-time fabric as a sort of short cut.
I suppose it would be like a great circle route on a
globe is shorter than the apparent straight line route
or as we think of SciFi wormholes and such.
But without that sort of mechanism, there is no way we'll see other life forms,
let alone intelligent ones.
As far as we know, even with exoplanet systems that we have now found,
the odds are scarce that a planet will have the requirements for life
(as we know it) let alone the roll of the dice evolutionary process
to produce intelligence.
That's a primary reason I don't believe in UFOs and extraterrestrial incidents. Some weird stuff no doubt, but explainable at some point,
now or in the future with more knowledge.
Physics and Chemistry advance when someone finally makes the critical measurement that disproves the old system, like Galileo supposedly dropping weights off the Leaning Tower of Pisa to disprove Aristotle and allow science to break free from his stifling errors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo%27s_Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa_experiment
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:10n8j6j$2icn$1@dont-email.me...
Physics and Chemistry advance when someone finally makes the critical
measurement that disproves the old system, ...
Then hopefully one of the theoreticians' cloud castles will be a better fit. The convincing evidence is if the new theory makes testable predictions of new phenomena that experiments verify. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddington_experiment
Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:10n8j6j$2icn$1@dont-email.me...
Physics and Chemistry advance when someone finally makes the critical
measurement that disproves the old system, ...
Then hopefully one of the theoreticians' cloud castles will be a better fit.
The convincing evidence is if the new theory makes testable predictions of >> new phenomena that experiments verify.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddington_experiment
A common misconception.
Experiments/observations _falsify_ or _confirm_ a natural-scientific theory, they do NOT verify it.
Because such a theory is always only a model, not the truth:
The more independently obtained experimental/observational evidence that confirms a theory, the closer that theory is considered to be a solid foundation and a scientific truth. But that does not preclude the theory from being falsified by another experiment.
Neil deGrasse Tyson even argues that this realization is why since the 20th century new theories are not presented as or considered "laws" anymore:
StarTrel: Why Science Doesn't Make Laws Anymore
<https://youtu.be/EVJdwD7coQ4?si=PrR6CVWZE2VDF_6o>
[His argument contains a semantic fallacy, though, because those laws were never considered laws as in jurisprudence, but in the sense of regularities of Nature, "laws" that *Nature* would obey; so humans "breaking" them, and not calling them "laws" anymore because "laws are something that you don't break" is certainly NOT the reason. That physical laws would be laws as in jurisprudence is yet another common misconception that, unfortunately, he is helping to spread there.]
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:10n8j6j$2icn$1@dont-email.me...
Physics and Chemistry advance when someone finally makes the critical
measurement that disproves the old system, ...
Then hopefully one of the theoreticians' cloud castles will be a better
fit.
The convincing evidence is if the new theory makes testable predictions of new phenomena that experiments verify. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddington_experiment
Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:10n8j6j$2icn$1@dont-email.me...
Physics and Chemistry advance when someone finally makes the critical
measurement that disproves the old system, ...
Then hopefully one of the theoreticians' cloud castles will be a better >>> fit.
The convincing evidence is if the new theory makes testable predictions
of new phenomena that experiments verify.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddington_experiment
A common misconception.
Experiments/observations _falsify_ or _confirm_ a natural-scientific
theory, they do NOT verify it. Because such a theory is always only
a model, not the truth:
The more independently obtained experimental/observational evidence that
confirms a theory, the closer that theory is considered to be a solid
foundation and a scientific truth. But that does not preclude the theory
from being falsified by another experiment.
It -should- have been clear to you from context that I did not equate verifying a theory by experiment to declaring it a universal truth.
Never !--
Interstellar distances are so great, as to preclude any chance of
travel or practical comunication.
Do the simple math : Time = Distance / Speed
This is why, although intelligent space faring species likely abound throughout the universe, we are never visited by any.
This is why, although intelligent space faring species likely abound >throughout the universe, we are never visited by any.
On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:49:47 -0500, casagiannoni@optonline.net wrote:
This is why, although intelligent space faring species likely abound >>throughout the universe, we are never visited by any.
I'm not surprised. Even though I do believe interplanetary (and
beyond) travel is possible, I can just imagine another species
watching our news broadcasts and deciding that the people of Earth are
too wacky to bother with. IMHO, THAT is why we haven't been openly
contacted by another species. And I don't blame them a bit....
"Steve Silverwood [KB6OJS]" <steve.silverwood@gmail.com> writes:
On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:49:47 -0500, casagiannoni@optonline.net wrote:
This is why, although intelligent space faring species likely abound >>>throughout the universe, we are never visited by any.
I'm not surprised. Even though I do believe interplanetary (and
beyond) travel is possible, I can just imagine another species
watching our news broadcasts and deciding that the people of Earth are
too wacky to bother with. IMHO, THAT is why we haven't been openly
contacted by another species. And I don't blame them a bit....
Interplanetary travel is possible. We do it all the time. Got probes on
Mars. Sent some to Venus. We even sent a probe to Titan. One visited
Pluto a few years back. We have effectively visited every planet in
the solar system and a variety of minor planets. We've even had return >samples brought back from asteroids.
Interstallar travel is something we started doing in the 70s, albeit >inadvertently. It wasn't the original intention that the Voyager
spacecraft last as long as they have, but alas, they reached
interstellar space a some years ago. Neither spacecraft are going to any >particular star.
Personal Opinion Zone
The universe isn't teeming with life just yet. Our universe is still
quite young. The picture will be different 20-30 billion years from
now.
On Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:58:33 -0700, Daniel <me@sc1f1dan.com> wrote:
"Steve Silverwood [KB6OJS]" <steve.silverwood@gmail.com> writes:
On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:49:47 -0500, casagiannoni@optonline.net wrote:
This is why, although intelligent space faring species likely abound >>>>throughout the universe, we are never visited by any.
I'm not surprised. Even though I do believe interplanetary (and
beyond) travel is possible, I can just imagine another species
watching our news broadcasts and deciding that the people of Earth are
too wacky to bother with. IMHO, THAT is why we haven't been openly
contacted by another species. And I don't blame them a bit....
Interplanetary travel is possible. We do it all the time. Got probes on >>Mars. Sent some to Venus. We even sent a probe to Titan. One visited
Pluto a few years back. We have effectively visited every planet in
the solar system and a variety of minor planets. We've even had return >>samples brought back from asteroids.
Interstallar travel is something we started doing in the 70s, albeit >>inadvertently. It wasn't the original intention that the Voyager
spacecraft last as long as they have, but alas, they reached
interstellar space a some years ago. Neither spacecraft are going to any >>particular star.
Well, =remote= interplanetary travel is possible, and yes, we've been
doing it for decades that way, but travel =in person= is another thing entirely. It takes months to years to get anywhere past the Moon in
this solar system, which robotic probes can handle without even
breathing hard (so to speak), but getting PEOPLE there, well, then we
involve a whole lot of other factors which we haven't beat just quite
yet. If we had, we'd be doing it in person by now and not by remote
control. I hope I live long enough to see the first permanent
settlement on the Moon, and the first manned Mars landing. At 68,
I'll settle for that.
Personal Opinion Zone
The universe isn't teeming with life just yet. Our universe is still
quite young. The picture will be different 20-30 billion years from
now.
I'm glad that's a personal opinion. I'm still hopeful for a peaceful
First Contact before I die.
I'm glad that's a personal opinion. I'm still hopeful for a peaceful
First Contact before I die.
How do you think that would play out? Simple curiousity.
On Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:52:51 -0700, Daniel <me@sc1f1dan.com> wrote:
I'm glad that's a personal opinion. I'm still hopeful for a peaceful
First Contact before I die.
How do you think that would play out? Simple curiousity.
I honestly don't know. I know how I would LIKE for it to play out: no insanity like in Independence Day; no paranoia like in most of the
other Hollywood movies; maybe like in "Star Trek: First Contact"
movie?
"Steve Silverwood [KB6OJS]" <steve.silverwood@gmail.com> writes:WTF are you talking about now? The question was about first contact. First you said that you were hopeful for a peaceful first contact before you die.
On Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:52:51 -0700, Daniel <me@sc1f1dan.com> wrote:
I honestly don't know. I know how I would LIKE for it to play out: noI'm glad that's a personal opinion. I'm still hopeful for a peacefulHow do you think that would play out? Simple curiousity.
First Contact before I die.
insanity like in Independence Day; no paranoia like in most of the
other Hollywood movies; maybe like in "Star Trek: First Contact"
movie?
I wouldn't want that to happen during my life.
I really hope to witness the supernova of Betelgeuse. I don't even
care if it leaves behind a remnant. Also, to have its nebula in the night
sky would be a delight. Imagine a permanent change to the Orion constellation. But, it's doubtful that'll happen any time soon, hella
bummer.
Daniel wrote:
"Steve Silverwood [KB6OJS]" <steve.silverwood@gmail.com> writes:WTF are you talking about now? The question was about first contact. First you said that you were hopeful for a peaceful first contact before you die. Now you are saying that you wouldn't want that to happen during your life?
On Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:52:51 -0700, Daniel <me@sc1f1dan.com> wrote:
I honestly don't know. I know how I would LIKE for it to play out: noI'm glad that's a personal opinion. I'm still hopeful for a peaceful >>>>> First Contact before I die.How do you think that would play out? Simple curiousity.
insanity like in Independence Day; no paranoia like in most of the
other Hollywood movies; maybe like in "Star Trek: First Contact"
movie?
I wouldn't want that to happen during my life.
I really hope to witness the supernova of Betelgeuse. I don't even
care if it leaves behind a remnant. Also, to have its nebula in the night
sky would be a delight. Imagine a permanent change to the Orion
constellation. But, it's doubtful that'll happen any time soon, hella
bummer.
And WTF does that have to do with Betelgeuse?
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