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Hypothetical Discovery of Life on Another Planet

MayberryMayberry Regular
edited September 2010 in Spurious Generalities
Let's say top scientists have just discovered life on another planet, say Neptune, which is close enough to efficiently communicate with via radio but far enough so that transportation to and from it is not currently commercially viable. Their technology is at par with ours. We have not sent or received any direct communication to and from them, so we do not know if they know there is life on Earth, but expect them to discover us any day now as our technology is at the same level.

Couple questions to ponder:

How long will the government withhold this discovery from the populace?
Will the space program be accelerated?
Will we look down on them as aliens or embrace them as fellow lifeforms?
Would they join TOTSE.INFO?
Other thoughts?
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Comments

  • ScuDScuD Regular
    edited September 2010
    the government would with hold that information for as long as it is strategically important knowledge. we wouldn't want the damn Chinese setting up trade with the aliens before the north american union now would we?

    NASA would not get the budget boost, the military would, maybe the navy. to build interstellar battle cruisers.

    i think the powers that be would at first see them as a threat, and then of course see them as a viable source for marketable goods and services. and profitable trade makes for a good foundation to diplomatic AND cultural relations. we may even form a solar system protection agreement with them. assuming they buy our stuff.

    if they didn't join totse, then they are not the kind of aliens i want to chill with. and i measure all life forms based on chill factor ( how much do i want to chill with them).

    i think we would definitely have a war with them at some point. over something.
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  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited September 2010
    Neptune's a gas planet. Good luck forming intelligent life there. We're pretty much alone here on earth. Mars may have some frozen bacteria, and Europa a few weird fishes, but that's it.
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  • MayberryMayberry Regular
    edited September 2010
    Katzenklavier wrote: »
    Neptune's a gas planet. Good luck forming intelligent life there. We're pretty much alone here on earth. Mars may have some frozen bacteria, and Europa a few weird fishes, but that's it.

    Yeah I just used it as an example because it's close enough to communicate but far enough that current space travel isn't going to happen.
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  • seanicusseanicus New Arrival
    edited September 2010
    The government will almost certain attempt to keep it under wraps, regardless of whether they were friendly, hostile, or apathetic. Space program will be accelerated. Most other questions, however, are unanswerable. These are creatures that evolved on another planet, and so it's foolish to try to guess anything about them. They could be 300 miles tall, or 3 millimeters. That's not the problem. What the problem is that they may think in such a way that is completely incomprehensible to human beings. They may have thought processes that we can never grok in a million years. They may live to four million years. Who knows how they will act? Their behavior will be as incomprehensible to as a fish's comprehension of human behavior.
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  • FiremindFiremind Acolyte
    edited September 2010
    Mayberry wrote: »
    How long will the government withhold this discovery from the populace?
    Forever.
    Will the space program be accelerated?
    Yes.
    Will we look down on them as aliens or embrace them as fellow lifeforms?
    We won't know they exist, accept for a few.
    Would they join TOTSE.INFO?
    No.
    Other thoughts?
    No, I don't really ponder hypothetically.
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