Everyone put on their spock ears for a sec.
My diary often touches on technology and space. I do that to remind us all that one of the critical roles of government has been and likely always will be the expansion of our understanding of the Universe we live in. Our knowledge of the heavens may one day save us from being smashed to bits by a big-ass asteroid, as almost happened TWICE very recently.
But I’m tired of the Fear stuff.
I really think that this stuff is fun. Yes, Government (go NASA!) can be fun, intellectually stimulating, creative, etc. etc.
I’m not for bringing back the propaganda newsreel, but why can’t we talk about the uncontroversial, even cool parts of government. Kinda like the CIA’s kids page, but less cognitively dissonant.
Anyhow.
I was just reading a CNN article on the recent fly-by we did on the comet Hartley 2 (the second comet this same vehicle has visited!), and I had a thought (video at end of diary).
Consider this: Comets travel great distances – perhaps even interstellar distances – and then eventually end up orbiting one star or another in a great ellipse. Perhaps they can even be ‘poached’ by one star from another.
Doesn’t it make sense then, that they could be used and should be explored as the simplest, least resource intensive and perhaps then most likely form of interstellar communication?
In a Universe of nearly endless stars with endless planets, basically every reasonably possible thing is occurring SOMEWHERE right now.
Including hurling comets towards suspected populated planetary systems with which to just say, ‘Hi’.
Interstellar comet-mail. With sufficiently detailed maps of the nearby Universe, one might even plot comet courses that eventually hit several star systems. Kinda like our vehicle has visited multiple stars.
Shouldn’t we be looking at comets for signs of artificial manipulation from distant intelligence? I mean we’re already doing fly-bys.
But shouldn’t we also consider ourselves using comets as interstellar messengers or even homing pigeons?
Just a thought.
Here’s video of the comet (after the stupid ad):
Geek out.