QUESTION We’ve trashed the oceans; now we are turning space into a junkyard for billionaires | Kevin McKenna | Opinion | The Guardian
If we’re discussing space, then we ought to be discussing the impact of all these rockets on our potential neighbors in the galaxy. I’ve always found it curious that despite spending even more billions over decades trying to locate other forms of intelligent life we’ve had nary a cheep back; not even a single intergalactic WhatsApp message. So either our neighbors are a rude shower or they simply don’t exist. But what if there’s another, more sinister explanation: that they do exist but are so far ahead of us in intelligence that they’ve created the means to put themselves out of our reach, perhaps with a giant jamming device.
This would explain all those sightings of extraterrestrial spacecraft and kidnappings. Every so often, they check us out to see if we’ve advanced to a stage where they feel they can have a reasonable chat with us. Such visits are bound to have left them disappointed. In recent months, I can imagine one of their scouts reporting back: “Look, 2,000 years ago, the leader of the civilized world in Rome gave his horse a seat in his cabinet; now the most civilized country in the world has appointed some medieval bampot/Buffoon called Trump. They’re still savages.”
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Musk had an open offer for a 'free ride' on the Falcon Heavy to any firm, including NASA that wanted to put an instrument or satellite in orbit. They all refused because the rocket was 'too experimental' and they didn't want to risk a payload getting blown up. The Tesla Roadster was just a backup payload if no other payload options existed. It is on it's way to deep space and there is a LOT of space in space... I think the idea of putting a mannequin in a seat with a 'Don't Panic' sign in plain view, and a Red Roadster flying thru space was not meant to be a publicity stunt, but turned into one. Hilarious, surreal, and the coolest thing to happen in the space industry since Apollo.
RobCampbell
Level 7
Feb 16, 2018
0
The Roadster wasn't put into orbit though Rob, like you said "it is on it's way to deep space and mars orbit. It is NOT the 'trash' they're talking about in this article.
@zblaze Never said it was, there was an offer to put a satelite in orbit but that didn't pan out. As far as trashing space, the idea is almost ludicris.I think about this kind of stuff for over 50 yrs, and I still have problems wrapping my head around just how expansive space is.
@RobCampbell Dude, of course space is unbelievably expansive, but this article is talking about the immediate space, the orbital space around this planet. Is is not unlimited.
There’s a lot of space in the universe. It will take a while to trash space.
ChrisJones
Level 6
Feb 15, 2018
1
Problem is, trash stays in orbit. We HAVE trashed the immediate 'space' around our planet ALREADY!
@zblaze True, There is a lot of space junk in LEO. But orbits decay and most of that junk will fall through the atmosphere and burn up eventually.
It was said of those who claimed that kidnappings and sex with aliens were delusional. After all "once you've had sex with a human you would never go back to your own kind". Kind of like us kidnapping a chimpanzee and saying wow, what great sex!! Pure hubris.
JackPedigo
Level 9
Feb 15, 2018
1
There are some thoughts in the article, but it also has some things that are doubtworthy. For example, he mentions metal rusting in outer space. How does something rust (oxidize) in an environment without oxygen?
ElizabethI
Level 6
Feb 15, 2018
1
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