Are we alone?

[Callisto]

“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.â€Â

- Arthur C. Clarke

[Poryy]

Wrong section. This goes in Kerbal Space Program fan works.

[SuperBigD60]

Carl Sagan (whom I don't always agree with, mind you) said something to the effect that it'd be an awful waste of space if there was no one else out there but us.

And that was before Kepler started finding a whole bunch of planets, making us think there could be many millions of potentially habitable planets in just our galaxy alone.

[Astronaut]

The universe is to big and to many things are possible for us to be alone.

[Seshins]

i think just statistically - based on the sheer volume and scale of the universe, and all life is is chemistry really, that there MUST be life out there. whether its existing in our galaxy at the same time is another question.

And i was reading and article today on space.com where they have confirmed the existence of water in the atmosphere of an exo planet.

IMO while finding some sort of sentient life would be amazeballs - even finding and confirming bacteria or simple organisms on another body would make it a case of "not if, but how much, and where"

[Dust]

On the matter of life in the universe I always think of the Drake equation and the Fermi paradox. My personal view on this is that yes, there's certainly life out there. The probability for any given star system to harbor life is extraordinarily slim, but the sheer amount of stars in the universe ensures that it's happened millions upon millions of times across the observable universe. In fact, there's probably a decent chance that at least one of the systems within a hundred light years contains a habitable planet with life.

But then you must consider that not all planets that start out habitable remain habitable forever. For every Earth there are probably hundreds - if not millions - of planets that began harboring life but became uninhabitable for any number of reasons, cutting short the process that got us this far along. Considering the rocky past that Earth has, this is not hard to imagine. Then there's the question of sentient tool using life... For all the planets harboring life for long enough, what are the chances that a sentient tool using species arises? And for how long will they exist. I think our own case study here on earth is showing that it has a very high chance of being ridiculously short. (I am always reminded of the comic I saw somewhere of the Earth sitting in the doctor's office feeling ill, and the doctor says "You just have a case of humans. Don't worry, it'll run its course and be gone soon.")

Now define "alone." If you're sitting alone in a small room in a building full of endless rooms, and you can't tell if any of the other rooms are occupied, but you're sure some of them must be occupied, are you alone?

[thomasjkenney]

With apologies to Larry Niven...

BYSTANDER

I had just completed a successful orbit of Eve, perhaps a little too close to the atmosphere, but pulling it off nonetheless. In the afterglow of the successful encounter, before remembering the old mountaineers' credo that reaching the summit is only half the job, I felt content to relax and read a book and sip my coffee.

Before long, things started to go quite badly. A micrometeorite punctured a fuel tank. I was quickly losing the precious fuel I would need for the return burn. I quickly began a panic burn to attempt a partial transfer back toward Kerbin. However, the tiny rock had also clipped a critical sensor, and my burn was sending me off in a random direction.

Fear and anxiety pervaded. The cabin stank of sweat and vomit. I was on an accidental escape trajectory that would send me toward the Kalpha Keti system, most likely to my doom.

Then a shocking thing happened. While I was staring longingly out the viewport at a receeding Eve, the face of a huge, pink-skinned Kerbinid appeared, blocking my view! I was dumbfounded. As the face receded, allowing a broader view, what I saw only heightened my fear. It was a giant space-bound Kerbinid, though whether an organism or a robot I could not tell. It seemed to be grinning at me. Not a benevolent grin ("Don't worry, Jeb...I'm here to help!") but an apathetic grin ("Lookit that little green bugger! Ain't he somethin'?"). The indifference was humbling.

The giant then 'reached out' with a colossal arm as if to grab my ship. I cowered, wishing I had a closet in which I could lock myself. The hand extended a finger (GAWD! There were FIVE FINGERS!) and applied what, for such a large being, must have been an infinitesimal force. The effect on my tiny ship was as if I had ignited a Skipper engine attached at some random angle. I was sent hurtling, spinning, sickeningly, and further off course than before. Now I was sure to be marooned.

Moments passed while the giant seemed to be caught up in some thought. It turned it's head to one side and transmitted a message to some unseen entity at an unknown distance, using some kind of laser that caused my ship to vibrate with the sound of the message:

"DAMN YOU, CAT! GET THE HECK AWAY FROM MY KEYBOARD!!!"

I had no idea what the message contained, but the tone sounded like a warning. It was frighteningly cryptic. I had hoped that, with such power at it's disposal, the giant might take pity on me and help me back to Kerbin, but the warning message left me so shaken I had forgotten all such hope. And it was probably for the best. The next message the giant indifferently transmitted left me feeling empty and small:

"Oh, well. I guess I'll have to terminate that mission and start another. Jeb clone number 347, you're up next!"

Edited February 26, 2014 by thomasjkenney
Speeling!