JohnTozziPhotography wrote:
I have nothing against ancient cultures, but I find it hard to believe neither the ancient Egyptians nor the Mayans did everything on their own. Aliens have been coming here for centuries.

It would be the height of arrogance for earth to believe we are the only planet with sentient life in the whole of space. The math against it is, pardon the pun, astronomic. Once you start with that premise, the likelihood that we are the most advanced is also astronomic.

The question is when will they make themselves known permanently. I’m 58.  Sadly, I don’t see it happening in my lifetime. I just don’t think the majority of the planet is ready for it.

I think most people believe there are other civilizations out there. I think the main question would be do they have the ability to travel here.

Something else I've thought of is what if they're not actually from another planet, but rather a microscopic civilization right here on Earth?

Arizona Shoots wrote:
If aliens are real, do you think we'll find out within many of our lifetimes? And if it turns out that they are indeed real, do you think it's just one civilization that's been visiting us? Have fun.

Years ago I saw the live performance of Styx, Mr Robato. Aliens are definitely real!
And anyways, where do you think all these Republicans come from??? LoL
John

JSouthworth wrote:
They're not real, and the idea that they are real may be having a damaging effect on political life.

I liked The X Files, but this stuff you hear about the US government and military keeping alien encounters secret and using alien technology in military aircraft is just complete crap.

I agree with you there. Of course, it does give the military an edge being able to insinuate they have access to recovered alien technology so hey don't mess with us; but I also have to wonder if the current craze for conspiracy theories was supercharged by the popularity of the X Files, with kids who grew up watching that and thinking it was really cool now all the more susceptible to believing all the 'connect the dots' garbage circulating on the internet today.

TaiChiJohn wrote:
... I also have to wonder if the current craze for conspiracy theories was supercharged by the popularity of the X Files, with kids who grew up watching that and thinking it was really cool now all the more susceptible to believing all the 'connect the dots' garbage circulating on the internet today.

It's certainly possible that it gave it another "bump", but it's been a remarkably popular topic long before either the X-Files or the Internet.

"In 1947 the United States and other countries were in the midst of a “flying saucer” craze, as people reported seeing strange objects in the sky that they claimed were spacecraft piloted by aliens. It was against this background that a rancher, W.W. (“Mac”) Brazel, discovered some unusual debris near Roswell, New Mexico..."

- Encyclopedia Brittanica / Roswell Incident

LightDreams wrote:

It's certainly possible that it gave it another "bump", but it's been a remarkably popular topic long before either the X-Files or the Internet.

"In 1947 the United States and other countries were in the midst of a “flying saucer” craze, as people reported seeing strange objects in the sky that they claimed were spacecraft piloted by aliens. It was against this background that a rancher, W.W. (“Mac”) Brazel, discovered some unusual debris near Roswell, New Mexico..."

- Encyclopedia Brittanica / Roswell Incident

What was happening in 1947 in terms of aerospace technology? This was the beginning of the space race, lots of new and unfamiliar technology was appearing, in terms of missiles and jet aircraft. Numbers of captured German V2 missiles were shipped to the US and flown in the late 1940s to early 1950s while the aviation industry figured out how to make them and then improve on them. German WW2 research was also used as a basis for radical aircraft designs like the Vought F7U Cutlass.


One popular theory was that the Nazis were flying UFOs from a hidden base in the North Pole. A grain of truth in a huge pile of horse manure.

Arizona Shoots wrote:
...
I think most people believe there are other civilizations out there. I think the main question would be do they have the ability to travel here.
...

This is the key point, since it takes an almost infinite amount of energy to even approach the speed of light.

Managing Light wrote:

This is the key point, since it takes an almost infinite amount of energy to even approach the speed of light.

An obvious problem is the enormous distances involved and the impossibility of travelling faster than the speed of light. So for Star Trek they had to invent the Warp Drive to get around that. Otherwise it would have taken them thousands of years each episode just to get anywhere.

Space is full of harmful radiation, gamma rays and cosmic rays, so in the time required for interstellar travel, life as we know it would probably not survive.

JSouthworth wrote:
An obvious problem is the enormous distances involved and the impossibility of travelling faster than the speed of light. So for Star Trek they had to invent the Warp Drive to get around that. Otherwise it would have taken them thousands of years each episode just to get anywhere.

Dorola wrote:
Lastly, I look at the time required to move from place to place....ould be expensive. As humans, we exist in a very narrow band of physiques. I expect aliens would also have to obey physiques.

Time is only a relative thing.

Mayflys only live for 24 hours (some only have a 5 minute lifespan)
Bees only live 6 weeks
Dogs live for 16 years.
Humans live for 75 years.
A tortoise can live close to 200 years.
Quahog Clams can live over 500 years.

Every one of those living beings has a similar lifecycle.  Being born, growing, aging, and dying. 
There could be (and probably is) some interstellar being that makes humans timeline look like a Mayfly by comparison, and a millenium of travel to us may seem like a few minute trip to the grocery store to them.

JSouthworth wrote:
Space is full of harmful radiation, gamma rays and cosmic rays, so in the time required for interstellar travel, life as we know it would probably not survive.

If Tardigrades can do it what makes you think that another species can't?

JSouthworth wrote:
Travel to another planet is certainly possible with the existing technology, NASA had workable plans for a mission to Mars in the 1970s but the cost was a problem and there were concerns about the use of nuclear propulsion as well I think.

I have a book, Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion by Philip G. Hill and Ralph R. Petersen (Addison Wesley, 1970) which has a chapter on nuclear rockets. This is, or anyway was real technology. It would have been used for the interplanetary parts of the NASA Mars mission, after the spacecraft had been assembled in Earth orbit from components put into orbit by Saturn 5 rockets. Do you want to know more?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_thermal_rocket

Nuclear bomb propulsion was another concept which was taken quite seriously in the 1950s and 1960s. But when President John F. Kennedy was shown a mock-up of the proposed military version, he was dismayed and Project Orion was cancelled soon afterwards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
Time is only a relative thing.

Mayflys only live for 24 hours (some only have a 5 minute lifespan)
Bees only live 6 weeks
Dogs live for 16 years.
Humans live for 75 years.
A tortoise can live close to 200 years.
Quahog Clams can live over 500 years.

Every one of those living beings has a similar lifecycle.  Being born, growing, aging, and dying. 
There could be (and probably is) some interstellar being that makes humans timeline look like a Mayfly by comparison, and a millenium of travel to us may seem like a few minute trip to the grocery store to them.


If Tardigrades can do it what makes you think that another species can't?

Microscopic organisms such as bacteria can also survive under harsh conditions including radiation, but even so it's extremely doubtful whether they would survive in space for thousands of years.

Focuspuller wrote:
Very possible. As there recently seems to be movement by the government in the direction of releasing certain episodes to the public, possibly grooming the world for some revelations long held secret. Maybe.

Do you mean Operation Tailwind? Nobody has claimed that aliens were involved as far as I'm aware.

Frank Lewis Photography wrote:
Have you met Mr. Carpenter?

I was a kid when this movie came out in the 50's.  I still think it has such a great, simple message about the use of nuclear weapons, and remains one of the early thought provoking statements about our world to be done on film.  One of my top 5 'alien' movies of all times.

JSouthworth wrote:
Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system is 4.25 light years away. You might think that would be achievable, but with the best technology we have now a round trip to Mars would take five years.

Assuming a constant 6G acceleration it would take about two months to accelerate to light speed and the same to stop.

A typically Earth-bound Flatlander mindset, incapable of even conceiving of the possibility of a greater physics of which our infinitesimal corner of the universe and its laws visible to us is a subset, and which Homo Sapiens is not equipped to perceive, but which other lifeforms in the universe may have mastered.

We are ants in an ant farm, thinking we have our universe all figured out.

Studio NSFW wrote:
Isn’t it an assumption that these aliens would have technology not known by the Homo sapiens on Terra?

This is what is often assumed, and a corollary is that if that were the case, they could probably kick our butts if they chose to do so. But both assumptions are pure speculation.

JSouthworth wrote:

This is what is often assumed, and a corollary is that if that were the case, they could probably kick our butts if they chose to do so. But both assumptions are pure speculation.

Not really. If the "assumption" is "aliens are real", and by definition, not of this earth, then it is not "pure speculation" that they would have technology superior to ours, but a likelihood.   Unless of course you believe there is an advanced civilization existing elsewhere in our solar system, unseen by us so far, and subject to the same physical laws we have figured out to date.

"Assumption" and "pure speculation". Do you understand the difference?

Anna Dark wrote:
If aliens exist, then everyone will have to prepare their butts! Because judging by movies and cartoons, aliens really like to use anal probes!

Wonder what they are looking for. There's a joke in there somewhere. Something like:

"Oh no! My girlfriend is an alien!

JSouthworth wrote:
...

Never mind.  This thread was "If Aliens are Real?", not "JSouthworth releases a statement about SpaceX belly flop maneuvers"...

JSouthworth wrote:
The SpaceX Starship has blown up in flight again, I'm not completely convinced that they have the design right but some of the technology is very impressive, the engines especially.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship

Considering your impressive expertise in rocket science, I am sure Elon would be very eager to consult with you on his design errors.

You would also be able to bond on Israeli "racism."

JSouthworth wrote:
The SpaceX Starship has blown up in flight again, I'm not completely convinced that they have the design right but some of the technology is very impressive, the engines especially.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship

Both the first stage booster and the spacecraft itself are meant to be reusable. After detaching, the first stage booster is supposed to do a "belly flop" maneuver and land on it's tail, using it's engines to slow it down as it descends through the atmosphere and a stabilisation system to keep it vertical during the actual landing. This I would like to see.

Informative article and video of the recent launch here;

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment … AA1keVNz|6

JSouthworth wrote:
Informative article and video of the recent launch here;

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment … AA1keVNz|6

Very informative...clear evidence  you do not know the meaning of the concept of RELEVANCE.

FYI: Every thread is NOT an invitation for you to carpet bomb us indiscriminately with whatever minutiae or factoid you are currently obsessing over.

Focuspuller wrote:
You would also be able to bond on Israeli "racism."

The Israeli's government's revanchist, Nazi-like policies towards the Palestinians have nothing to do with aliens as far as I'm concerned. Neither did the Holocaust. It's quite interesting how science fiction writers and film makers often project the worst human tendencies on to computers and extra-terrestrials.

JSouthworth wrote:
HAMAS have recently (as of 11/29/2023) invited Elon Musk to visit Gaza and see for himself the extent of the destruction of it's civil infrastructure as a result of Israeli bombing and shelling. This proves that they do regard him as an emissary of Satan in the way that some Iranian or Afghan Islamic fundamentalists probably would. Palestinians are more Westernised culturally than most Muslims, you can see in news videos that they often wear Western clothing, although some of the older men and women wear the traditional clothes.

" This proves...."

That you do not, in fact, know the meaning of the term "RELEVANCE", much less "PROOF".

Focuspuller wrote:

" This proves...."

That you do not, in fact, know the meaning of the term "RELEVANCE", much less "PROOF".

"Relevance" and "Proof" are words, they're not terms. You're chasing your own tail and wasting data again.

JSouthworth wrote:
HAMAS have recently (as of 11/29/2023) invited Elon Musk to visit Gaza and see for himself the extent of the destruction of it's civil infrastructure as a result of Israeli bombing and shelling. This proves that they do regard him as an emissary of Satan in the way that some Iranian or Afghan Islamic fundamentalists probably would. Palestinians are more Westernised culturally than most Middle Eastern Muslims, you can see in news videos that they often wear Western clothing, although some of the older men and women wear the traditional clothes.

HAMAS are not the only Palestinian militia organisation in Gaza but they have a measure of authority there. I think it would probably be safe for Musk to visit. He might have a problem with the Israelis.

JSouthworth wrote:
"Relevance" and "Proof" are words, they're not terms. You're chasing your own tail and wasting data again.

I see your problem.

You have a limited vocabulary and limited verbal comprehension.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

"term:
a word or expression that has a precise meaning in some uses or is peculiar to a science, art, profession, or subject"

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/term