[JurijD]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
I think we are going to find it's exceedingly difficult to travel between the stars. I do have some hope that we will someday make contact with other intelligent races by radio, or some similer means of long distance communication. I could easily see a vast communication network of intelligent races sharing information about themselves. Of course even at light speed it would be slow, but the mere fact someone is out there talking to you would be fascinating.

Over time you could get enough information about one another to take "virtual" trips to one anothers planets.

I hope you see what you are doing here you are exchanging one fantasy (the idea that we can travel among the stars using space ships)- an idea you find improbable, with another fantasy: namely that we'll be able to decrypt ALIEN Languages withouth ever making physical contact with the aliens. I don't know why you think that is more probable that the first "fantasy". For me its very unlikely that we'll be able to make any sense of some gobbly gook we get over an antenna... if we'l even be able to identify it when/if it comes.

don't you see what we are doing here... its like 2 pesant from the Dark ages would start arguing weather one could build "ships" that would fly like the birds.

Pesant1: I think we will find it exeedingly difficult and since it would require enormous energy to sustain such ships in flight even if we could do it it wouln't be practical in any way. And besides it would be very dangeus to fly. No... I think people will never go far from their place of birth, why should they... if we want to talk to other people on other continets we can just send them a mail. Sure it takes a while to get there but its better than nothing.

Pesant2: I think its gonna be inevitable that we develop such flying ships... the same as our ancestors developed the wheel and then the ship. Its just another step.

Pesant1: no no... listen why would you want to be flying around and making new "countries" all over the place?? they'll just end up goint to war with one another.

Pesant2: Nah you're crazy old man, I wonder why I even bother talking to you!

Pesant1: Your mamma!

Pesant2: Now why did you have to bring my mummy into this. Now'll have to hurt you...

... it got ugly then

So my point is that we don't know what the hell we are talking about. We just don't have any real experiance in how difficult or how easy space flight is. Its silly to argue if its possible or not.

[ March 28, 2004, 20:52: Message edited by: JurijD ]