Goldilocks exoplanet

Hmm. 20 Lightyears,

Yep, just enough time for ALL thoses Aliens to come to earth to do their anal probes.
But really, Gliese 581g. Where are all the PR people when we really need them?

Otherwise, WOW!

dear guido47
its about time the media and the government fess up to what is really going on in the world...aliens are only one part of the equasion! people forgt about the multi dimensional beings as well. They can be more scarier than aliens most days! love iblis

More perspective than in mainstream media:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/09/29/possible-earthlike-pla...

Nice link; thanks.

I was intrigued by a Robert Day post in the Syfi section.


I seem to recollect a press comment quite a few years ago saying that if we keep on miniturizing electronic devices, we'll soon be able to build a miniature probe that we could send to nearby stars using exisiting propulsion techniques - think of how fast a shoebox-sized probe would go if given the same thrust as a Saturn 5 (at least, that was the thinking).{ Roberts words}


{My words}I would like to expand my reply of "I think the "constant acceleration" of the ion drive engines is a big draw for long distances.
The fuel for those is a lot more compact also. I worry about the physics of slowing down {flashing back to Tau Zero } but with the mass of a sun to play with I am sure it could be done.  " Maybe we could send several probes timed 15 or 20 years apart, taking advantage of technological advances.  By "daisy chaining" the probes with communication - each being able to relay signals of the other,we could stay in touch for longer times.  As more information is received the itinerary of the probes could be modified and those not launched made more specific by the knowledge gained. 

Why slow the first probes down?  Once other promising targets are found
maybe the early probes could collect & transmit information, keep their
speed and pinball to the next likely solar system.  Feel free to mention
how many sf stories have already incorporated these techniques ;-)

Aha! there is obviously a hole in my aluminum foil hat that allows scanner waves in because someone has read my mind and posted some interesting information about speculative probes at The Tau Zero Foundation no less.

http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=14876

The above, links to an article which provides the following excerpt:

Surviving Interstellar Dust

That study, of course, is Project Icarus, in which Crawford is an active player. But any vehicle, whether fusion based or using more exotic concepts like antimatter or laser-pushed lightsails, runs into the interstellar dust problem. Drop the speed from 0.3c to 0.1c and the issue is partially mitigated. Dust was a showstopper for Schneider, but Crawford notes that assuming an interstellar dust density of 6.2×10-24 kg m-3, erosion at 0.1c would erode on the order of 5 kg m-2 of shielding material over a six light year flight. So that while we are certainly adding to the mass of the probe with shielding material like beryllium, we have not ruled out the mission.

Centauri Dreams is a great site for SF fans to follow. Always something interesting.