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Originally Posted by albear

by space ship/shuttle/ whatever you want to call it.

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:D... I am not asking what the transport will be, but HOW are we going to get there... we will need to travel endlessly for many many light years... it is impossible.

Hello man:

Haven't you ever heard of warp power? I know, I know, it's a Star Trek thing... But, if we're going to travel out there, THAT'S how we're going to do it. We're going to warp spacetime.

excon

Hmm, yes, but we are not going to survive that long to invent warp technology...

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Originally Posted by mantooon

:D ...I am not asking what the transport will be, but HOW are we going to get there...we will need to travel endlessly for many many light years...it is impossible.

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No it isn't, it will take a very long time yes, at our current level of technology anyhoo, but that doesn't mean that only one crew can do it, if there is a large enough population on the original craft then via reproduction the next generations will make it there and we will have successfully transported the human race to another hospitable planet

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Originally Posted by Sitkadiver

I say we should communicate despite any potential risk. Since Earth is essentially a closed system, and if it isn't, then the solar system is, all closed systems fall towards entropy, then someday we as a race will have to leave the planet. So why not start looking for digs now.

Maybe somewhere out there there is a galatic homeowners union that will allow us to become their new neighbors.

Seriously though, what could really turn out to be cool is if the speed of light can be exceeded by some sort of superlominal signaling device. Then think of the conversations we could have! I know there's a great deal of debate, but the recent BBC report sure sounded exciting. I can only imagine what will be learned at CERN in the next couple decades.

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Can you explain what you mean by "essentially a closed system"? I wouldn't say that the Earth or the Solar System were closed systems.

The Earth is not a closed system since it is inundated with solar energy, which (among other things) supports life. Plants use solar energy to build sugars and other molecules, and all other living things get energy by eating plants or organisms that eat plants. Earth also loses energy constantly, as heat and light radiate out into space. It loses molecules of atmosphere where the atmosphere meets space.

I don't think the solar system would be considered a closed system either, since material and energy are lost from the solar system. Plus it's movements are influenced by gravitational forces from the rest of the galaxy. I'm sure there's more, but I'm not able to say off the top of my head.

A "closed system" is a theoretical construct for teaching purposes. They don't really exist, I don't think.

Is it true that the TV transmissions are to reach the 'border' of our galaxy in 5 months?

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Originally Posted by ruxdeac

Is it true that the tv transmissions are to reach the 'border' of our galaxy in 5 months?

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No, we are about 25,000 light years from the center of the galaxy, and the galaxy is about 100,000 light years across. So light would take about 75,000 years to reach the closest 'border'. Also, the transmission would have probably dwindled to well below background levels by then.

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Originally Posted by asking

I don't think the solar system would be considered a closed system either, since material and energy are lost from the solar system. Plus it's movements are influenced by gravitational forces from the rest of the galaxy. I'm sure there's more, but I'm not able to say off the top of my head.

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The most obvious evidence that it's not a closed system is light from stars :)

Oh, right, that!
Duh.

Well lets see,our milky way has over a billion stars & growing,that's our galaxys along there are over a billion galaxys that are visible for use,many of then with more stars than us,so if we don't send signals the chance of another life form finding us is at least a trillion to one on the overall schale of things,at least a billion to 1 in our milkey way galaxy alone,the next closet galaxy is the andromeda galaxy which is about 2,500,000 light years away or around 26 trillion miles,that's 2 million 500 thosand years to get here moving at the speed of light,that's if they don't do a space jump or worm hole type,so I think we wouldn't be notice as easily if we did not send signal,I think we be better off to work on exploreing our on solar system at this time once we our more efficient in space travel & undestand more about space & the cosmos then send signals,we don't even know how far they travel in space we think they go on & on,butuntil someone is setting at the andromeda or whirlpool galaxy to receive it its just a theory,but then again that my theory??

Please tell me who is sending these signlas into space with the express intent of making contact? To my knowledge this was done only once, back in the 1970's, using the Arecibo antenna in Puerto Rico. See: Arecibo message - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The good news I suppose is that while TV and radio have been broadcast continuously for 100 years now, these signals are generally so weak that it would be very difficult for someone listening in from a few light years away to pick them up. This is one of the reasons I think the SETI project is doomed to disappointment - the only way we'll be able to "hear" another civilization that is tens or hundreds of light years away via radio is if that other civilization is intentionally trying to contact us already, by beamimg very high energy radio waves specifically in our direction. Seems highly unlikely to me.

Lest get one thing straight we aren't taking the risk we the people has to deal with the risk... the government is taking that risk that could get all of us killed and they wouldn't lose any sleep over it