[central_va]

You could have a highly developed civilization of squids.

Would the cost to develop technology to travel across the galaxy be worth it to find really smart calamari?

[GonzoGOP]

Would the cost to develop technology to travel across the galaxy be worth it to find really smart calamari?

We could send a robotic probe to Alpha Centari using an Orion drive and have it there in under 100 years using 1960s technology and recycled nuclear bombs. At less cost than Obama's Solyndra boondoggle. So is it worth more than a defunct solar power company? Or one under used high speed rail project? How about foreign aid to some country that hates us anyway. Building the thing would create more jobs than either of those.

The importance of Kepler is that it greatly narrows the search at minimal cost. We now know it can spot an Earth sized planet. It can spot life zone planets. And because it observes in visible rather that radio spectrum it can spot the tell tale spectral signature of life should it exist.

Once we have a target, then we can talk about a probe. You want to keep trip time down to a couple of centuries (hence robot probes). So the close stars can use Orion drives. Farther out you need exotics so getting there might not be something we do anytime soon.

[America_Right]

You could have a highly developed civilization of squids.

Would the cost to develop technology to travel across the galaxy be worth it to find really smart calamari?

Heheh...