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+--- Thread: No ETs, life in space? This happens + SpaceX feels it can reach Moon sooner th' 2024 (/thread-10824.html)
No ETs, life in space? This happens + SpaceX feels it can reach Moon sooner th' 2024 - C C - Aug 23, 2021
(travel) Here's what would happen if there weren't actually any aliens
https://www.grunge.com/494279/heres-what-would-happen-if-there-werent-actually-any-aliens/
EXCERPT: . . . This isn't as far-fetched as you secretly believe. Astrophysicist Erik Zackrisson points out that most planets are "quite unlikely to support life due to their orbit around their parent stars." While the premise of an alien encounter seems like the stuff of nightmares, no life on Mars could really mean a "War of the Worlds." Once the people of Earth wiped the stardust from their eyes and the disappointment dissipated, scrutiny would inevitably follow. No doubt, space exploration giants such as NASA would come under fire like launching rockets into the air.
NASA has spent billions over the years seeking out alien life forms. According to TechCrunch, the Curiosity Rover alone cost a whopping $2.5 billion. If it turns out it's just a robot up there rolling over rocks and making little clouds of dust behind itself for the sake of some cool Instagram photos, that could quickly become a dark matter for investors like Yuri Millner, who recently contributed a cool $100 million toward finding intelligent extraterrestrials. If investors pulled their funding and NASA shut down, Earth would suddenly become vulnerable to intergalactic threats like comets, asteroids, explosions, and of course, the upcoming war of the worlds.
We don't really need aliens to engage in intergalactic battles. Humanity is plenty dangerous on its own. If it turns out there's nobody out there, that means there's a whole lot of space in space. It wouldn't be long before people started claiming planets, or maybe even entire galaxies as their own. Don't think this could happen? It already is... (MORE - missing details)
RELATED THREAD (scivillage): We are effectively alone in the universe
(travel, vehicles) SpaceX thinks it can send humans to the Moon sooner than 2024
https://www.universetoday.com/152262/spacex-thinks-it-can-send-humans-to-the-moon-sooner-than-2024/
EXCERPT: . . . In any case, concerns about potential delays and fulfilling the 2024 deadline go beyond the four months lost due to the GAO’s stop order. In addition, there are reported issues with the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Units (xEMU) spacesuits, leading to fears that they won’t be ready in time.
Here too, Musk offered SpaceX’s help, claiming that they could have this other crucial mission element ready sooner. And of course, there are the highly-publicized delays that have plagued the Space Launch System (SLS) from the beginning, as well as the Orion capsule. This has led to speculation that NASA should farm the task of sending the Artemis astronauts back using the Starship and Super Heavy... (MORE - missing details)
NOTE: See this thread and this one for background of lawsuit and spacesuit delays, etc.