This wasn't exactly about looking for ET as it was about becoming ET. The supposition is that astronomers discover a neutron star on a collision course with our solar system and the event is only 75 years away. Then the imagined major events of the next 74 years or so were dramatized. Hopefully if and when such an event looms on the horizon we will be much better prepared to build the hardware needed for an evacuation and then be able to find an equitable way to decide who gets to go and who stays behind. That is assuming as the writers of this program did that a suitable planetary system can be found within range of whatever type of vessel mankind can build. I didn't agree with all the decisions put forth in this program but it does provoke thought about our eventual fate.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

For flying through the cosmos, the best vessel we have is the one we already have. We just need to protect the life support systems...

Keep search in'
Martin

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I think you missed the point Martin. The scenario in this program was that a neutron star is discovered on a collision path with our solar system so there would be no choice other than trying to get as many people as possible off the planet and directed toward the nearest star system with a suitable planet. It was acknowledged near the end of the program that a scenario such as this is not very likely and certainly does not merit serious planning. But it was an interesting study in human behavior and what we would be capable of achieving within the time frame allowed.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

A supervolcano eruption is much more likely. There are 4 of them, one in Italy (Campi Flegrei, near Naples). One should be prepared.
Tullio

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Some interesting hypotheses proposed, but I'm not sure the solution was the best. And there was little direct social analysis, but given the short (90 minutes not two hours) duration I'm not surprised at that.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

A supervolcano eruption is much more likely. There are 4 of them, one in Italy (Campi Flegrei, near Naples). One should be prepared.
Tullio

I agree on that. Yellowstone is a ticking time bomb, along with the others. And certainly a large portion of all animal life, including humans, would most likely die off. But the planet would survive and I guess that a certain small human contingent would make it. But it would probably send us back to the stone age.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

A neutron star has to be really close to tear a planet apart by tidal forces. The most likely scenario of a neutron star on a collision course would be to throw a planet of two out of orbit and into space as a rogue planet. The best reaction would’ve been underground habitats with geothermal power and even if a spaceship was to be used, the intent would be to return and live in space habitats built out of asteroids or whatever was left if the Earth did not survive. A neutron star would not destroy the entire solar system, maybe one planet or maybe even the Sun but not the entire solar system. In reality, most of the time would be wasted debating on whether or not it requires a panspermic evacuation, a global effort to evacuate Earth would not occur imo.

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rOZZ
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It hasn't done it before and there have been some big ones. Like the one in India a very long time ago. I doubt that even a super volcano could alter the earth's orbit.

As far as the neutron star scenario goes, I think it would depend on the mass of the star. If it destroys the sun we are history, either immediately or eventually.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

I agree on that. Yellowstone is a ticking time bomb, along with the others. And certainly a large portion of all animal life, including humans, would most likely die off. But the planet would survive and I guess that a certain small human contingent would make it. But it would probably send us back to the stone age.

I am not so sceptical. It was always major events (of any kind) that forced humanity to advance. War, severe competition, hard climate/living conditions etc. Any such massive event like a supervolcano *will* harm humanity, but this is like the Chinese/Vietnamese proverb saying that gold is tested with fire. It may be a brutal event but as evolution tells us there will be those that fall and those that become stronger. Eventually something like this will make real space travel and colonization of space a necessity and a way of life rather than what it is now - watered down shoestring tours into LEO and scarse probing.

evolution tells us there will be those that fall and those that become stronger

Survival of the fittest... Imo everybody should undergo the same fate in case of an 'armaggedon'

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rOZZ
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The specific scenario proposed in the TV program made evacuation mankind's only option for survival. A neutron star would not have to make a direct hit on earth to cause it's destruction as it's gravity field would totally disrupt the order of the solar system.

In all likelihood if such an event was discovered to be 75 years off we would not find a suitable new home in time. Whether we would be able to build a spacecraft large enough to carry a sufficient number of humans, animals, plants and other items deemed necessary to start somewhere else may be possible. In that case they would have to launch and head toward the most likely candidate system to start over and hope they could get along with each other long enough to get there.

More likely is the probability that we would just have to sit here and await our fate.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

If a neutron star came any where close to our oort cloud we would be bombarded with junk that was left over from our solar system creation. Right now Jupiter and other gas giants protect us. But with an major event like an neutron star coming close or even entering our solar system, we are all doomed even with an 75 year head notice. It only takes one comet or asteroid to get past the gas giants and we could have an event like comet shoemaker-levy 9 on earth.
If we are lucky to miss the the asteroids and comets, the 3 largest massive objects in our solar system would be in a strange tug of war with the neutron star, and the neutron star would win. Our sun would have solar flares that would be massive and the plants would shift orbits. Not to mention the tidal forces here on earth that would cause the super volcano's to erupt. It would even effect our moons orbit.
The subject is fun to think about but we as humans have not reached the level we need to be to unite on a threat of that nature. Alot of people would just accept it and not do nothing and call it the end of the world. The sad thing is that most of the people on earth do not understand how fragile life is here on earth.

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Cyrax_Darkmual@yahoo.com
Cyrax Darkmaul 94th Druid. Mob Killer
life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath.

More likely is the probability that we would just have to sit here and await our fate.

Humans might be smart but we can never prevail over Nature!

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rOZZ
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