Let’s Go
Xavier Delfosse, Grenoble University: “On the treasure map of the universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X.”
Geoffrey Marcy, UC Berkeley: “a marvelous discovery … the best case for a habitable planet.”
Eugene Chiang, UC Berkeley: “This is a step beyond what’s been done. But to say this planet is habitable is a real stretch.”
OK, so what are we sitting around here for. Only 20 light years thataway … over by Gliese 581.
Topics: science
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:49 am on Wednesday, April 25, 2007
14 Responses to “Let’s Go”
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April 25th, 2007 at 8:56 am
We can’t go. Funding for intragalactical space travel has been cut to zero. Got to pay for Iraq somehow, you know.
April 25th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
What an egregiously stupid thing to say. Show me where there were ever funds for intragalactical space travel by humans.
April 25th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
RebeccaH
What an egregiously stupid thing to say
corndog comes by egregiously stupid hereditarily.
April 25th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
RebeccaH,
Speaking of egregiously stupid things to say, please show me where I said anything about intragalactical space travel by humans.
Waiting, waiting. Ok, now maybe I’ll wait for an apology and see how graceful you can be. Waiting, waiting.
As to travel by spaceship, there have been two missions (one was the Viking mission) out of our solar system already. Future ones have been scrapped due to budget cuts.
April 25th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Funding for intragalactical space travel has been cut to zero.
The shift comes as the White House requests a 3.2% increase in NASA’s budget for fiscal year 2007, to almost $16.8 billion, at a time when most other US government accounts, except defence, are being cut back. Griffin says the budget supports space exploration, completion of the Station with the minimum number of Shuttle flights, and fielding of the replacement Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) by 2014 or sooner.
Despite the funding shifts, NASA spending for space science will still increase by 1.5% to $5.25 billion in 2007, and by more than 30% to $3.98 billion for exploration systems, to start CEV development. But funding for aeronautics research will be cut by 18%, to $724 million, despite Congress restoring a $200 million cut in the FY2006 budget.
cut to zero…… $5.25 billion. Hmmm.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2006/02/14/204622/nasa-juggles-funds-for-iss-flights.html
April 25th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Speaking of egregiously stupid things to say, please show me where I said anything about intragalactical space travel by humans.
Here, corndog:
We can’t go. Funding for intragalactical space travel has been cut to zero. Got to pay for Iraq somehow, you know.
Unless, by using the first person plural pronoun “we”, you referred to a non-human species…..of which you are a member. Are you human, corndog?
Waiting, waiting. Ok, now maybe I’ll wait for an apology and see how graceful you can be. Waiting, waiting.
You’ll be waiting a long time. May I suggest a good book in the meantime?
April 25th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
I see others have defended my honor, so I won’t bother. And as you are hoist on your own petard, corndog, apologize this. I never claimed to be graceful.
April 25th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Announcements of other worlds and extraterrestrial life have invariable disappointed
Lets look at the evidence. The LA Times article states the planets revolution is 12 days. Meaning it’s seasons are three days long. Not very hospitable for life even on the bacterial level.
Additionally, this planet’s rotation is a problem, it appears the planet doesn’t rotate, so one side would always be exposed to the sun.
Theres are more questions… what’s protecting planet from the red sun’s solar wind? We will never know because you have to send an magnetic detector to find out. If we do, the answer is due back in 150 years. By that time This planet will be declassified as potentially habitable and we will have gone through this with 100 other planets times
April 25th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Footnotes: Planet X, this name is taken. It was thought to be an unseen planet in the solar system, disturbing the orbit of Pluto.
As for getting there, the Thorium Reactor could well turn out to be a practical motor for near-light speed travel…honestly, I’m ot kidding, look it up.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Sorry, El Cid, when you said,
“Griffin says the budget supports space exploration, completion of the Station with the minimum number of Shuttle flights, and fielding of the replacement Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) by 2014 or sooner.” where was the discussion of intragalactical space travel, all missions of which have been eliminated?
Sorry, Jeffy, when you said,
“Unless, by using the first person plural pronoun “we”, you referred to a non-human species…..of which you are a member. Are you human, corndog?”
where did I ever say that humans would be going? You and Rebecca both need to go back and learn how to read carefully.
April 26th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Keep on digging, corndog, everyone enjoys the spectacle of you working that shovel. Pity that; you’re missing out on that good book I recommended.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
“You know, that might be the answer - to act boastfully about something one ought to be ashamed of. It never seems to fail.”
- Joseph Heller.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Jeffers: To put it into really simple terms for you:
1. My argument: I never said anything about human travel intragalactically. (In fact, just think about it: It would take hundreds of years to travel intragalactically. Why would I ever have said there was a NASA space program to have humans travel intragalactically, but the program’s budget was cut, when such a trip would take hundreds of years?)
Jeffy response: If I misrepresent what Corndog said to as to make it sound like what I want to, then I win. Thus, “we can’t go” can only mean “humans can’t go.”
2. My argument: The budget for NASA’s intragalactical space was cut.
Someone’s response: Well, some space programs having nothing to do with intragalactic space got higher funding.
3. My response to both “responses”: You aren’t addressing the question, you’re evading it.
Your response: keep digging?
Thus, my response above.
April 27th, 2007 at 12:17 am
We can’t go. Funding for intragalactical space travel has been cut to zero. Got to pay for Iraq somehow, you know.
We:
1. nominative pl. of I.
2. (used to denote oneself and another or others): We have two children. In this block we all own our own houses.
3. (used to denote people in general): the marvels of science that we take for granted.
4. (used to indicate a particular profession, nationality, political party, etc., that includes the speaker or writer): We in the medical profession have moral responsibilities.
5. Also called the royal we. (used by a sovereign, or by other high officials and dignitaries, in place of I in formal speech): We do not wear this crown without humility.
6. Also called the editorial we. (used by editors, writers, etc., to avoid the too personal or specific I or to represent a collective viewpoint): As for this column, we will have nothing to do with shady politicians.
7. you (used familiarly, often with mild condescension or sarcasm, as in addressing a child, a patient, etc.): We know that’s naughty, don’t we? It’s time we took our medicine.
8. (used in the predicate following a copulative verb): It is we who should thank you.
9. (used in apposition with a noun, esp. for emphasis): We Americans are a sturdy lot.
“We can’t go“: “We” as in “I and others”.
If one assumes that corndog is human, then corndog is referring to humanity. Of course, corndog might be referring to hamsters, in which case he ought to get a gig on Letterman’s show under “Stupid pet tricks”. Or Saturday Night Live in some sort of running gag.
But assuming that corndog is in fact a member of the species known as homo sapien, corndog’s next sentence, taken in context with “We can’t go“, means that “Humanity can’t go into space due to budget cuts in FTL drive research by Chimpy McHaliburton BusHitler.”
corndog’s continuing response:
dig, dig, dig, dig…..