How Long Until We Find a Second Earth?

Discover Magazine ^ | 10/10/08 | Robert Kunzig

[valkyry1]

The planet-hunting business, good work when you can get it

[DannyTN]

And if we find an inhabitable second earth, and we go there, how long until we forget? How many generations focused on survival until the evidence of having come from another planet is lost? How many generations until we imagine that we evolved there?

The story of having come from another Earth, will be passed down, just like the story of our own Creation. But will scientific minds there accept it after 1000 years? or 6000?

[blackbart.223]

"The story of having come from another Earth, will be passed down, just like the story of our own Creation. But will scientific minds there accept it after 1000 years? or 6000?"

Since we are stuck here and are likely to be for some time this is pointless.

[djf]

Until we can at least bring a soil sample back from Mars, I think we oughta hold off on the “life found in another solar system” announcements...

[Dallas59]

They need to continue to search and learn...but I don't think we'll ever go to them...

[Prophet in the wilderness]

What’s the closes star to ours ? .... and how many light years would it take to just to get there ? about 100 light years ? or more ? and if we did find a earth like planet ? ... would it be 1000 light years away ? 100,000 light years away ? .... yeah... I’ll say that we are stuck here on this present Earth.

[count-your-change]

Already been done...At least in a t.v. series several years ago called Earth 2 or some such. Really crummy show as I recall and was mercifully killed.

[itsthejourney]

Easy. Just ask the libs what planet they live on.

[Crazieman]

ping, later continual read

[Crazieman]

The closest second star (The Sun is a star =])is Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light years away.

To put that in perspective, the Voyager 1 probe is flying out at 38,600mph, if it were heading in the direction of Proxima (its not), it would take 73,000 years to get there.

[jakerobins]

We might find a planet that could sustain human life and have a breathable atmorphere somewhere in the solar system. However the EARTH is unique and was created by GOD specificly for us. We could never recreate this planet exactly. I believe that we are on Earth for a reason and the planet was created to support humans. The plants and animals thrive so Humans can thrive as well. There may be life on other planets. They would probably be very physically different so they could adapt to the planets conditions.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

" To put that in perspective, the Voyager 1 probe is flying out at 38,600mph, if it were heading in the direction of Proxima (its not), it would take 73,000 years to get there. "
Jeezz ... that's encouraging.... we are stuck on this Earth with liberals....

[Larry Lucido]

We’re gonna need one. My closets are already bursting.

[SunkenCiv]

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[oldsalt]

... the Voyager 1 probe is flying out at 38,600mph...

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say the Voyager is coasting at that speed? It has no propulsion system,so speeds in excess of its' current speed would certainly be possible,nicht wahr?

[Crazieman]

The fastest drive I believe we can develop at current technology is a nuclear pulse drive, that could theoretically top .1c (1/10th speed of light). But there’s also speed up/slowdown times, so it would probably take about 55 years to get to Proxima.

I don’t have time at this post to go into highly theoretical (Thermonuke pulse, antimatter, wildly theoretical Alcubierre [warp] drives) stuff.

[KevinDavis]

I say 50 years we will find one and I say at least 2100 we will have FTL...

[KevinDavis]

One thing for sure is that humans can adapt to almost any environment..

[Army Air Corps]

True FTL or artificial wormholes?