Tag: space

Fermi Solutions

An enumeration of possible solutions to fermi’s paradox.

  • Aliens exist, but we see no evidence
    • Human limitations
      • Human beings have not been searching long enough (Freitas Jr 1983; Freitas Jr. 1985)
      • Human beings are not listening properly
    • Practical limitations
      • Communication is impossible due to problems of scale
      • Intelligent civilizations are too far apart in space or time (Wesson 1990)
      • Communication is impossible for technical reasons
      • They only recently emerged and have not yet had the time to become visible. This could for example be due to synchronization due to a declining rate of gamma ray bursts that sterilize much of the galaxy (Annis 1999; Cirkovic 2004).
      • Civilizations only broadcast detectable radio signals for a brief period of time before moving on to other media.
      • It is too expensive to spread physically throughout the galaxy (Landis 1998)
    • Alien nature
      • They are too alien to be recognized
      • They are non-technological and cannot be detected except by visiting them.
      • They tend to experience a technological singularity becoming unfathomable and invisible.
      • They develop into very fast, information-dense states that have no reason to interact with humans (Smart 2002; Cirkovic and Bradbury 2006)
      • They migrate away from the galactic disk for cooling reasons (Cirkovic and Bradbury 2006)
      • They tend to (d)evolve to a post-intelligent state (Schroeder 2002)
      • They choose not to interact with us
    • They are here unobserved
      • Earth is purposely isolated (The Zoo or “Interdict” hypothesis) (Ball 1973; Fogg 1987)
      • Earth (and nearby parts of space) are simulated (Baxter 2001; Bostrom 2003).
      • They secretly deal with the government or other groups.
  • No other civilizations currently exist
    • We are the lucky first civilization
    • Intelligent, technological life is exceedingly rare
      • Rare earth hypothesis
      • Life is very rare (Wesson 1990)
      • Intelligence is very rare
    • Intelligent, technological life is very short-lived
      • Intelligent life is wiped out by external disasters at a high rate
      • Technological intelligent life exhaust its resources and dies out or becomes nontechnological
      • It is the nature of intelligent life to destroy itself.
      • It is the nature of intelligent life to destroy others.

1-Way Mars Mission

A human mission to Mars is feasible, but hugely expensive. A 1-way human mission to Mars would cut the costs several fold but ensure at the same time a continuous commitment to the exploration of Mars in particular and space in general. It would require not only major international cooperation, but a return to the exploration spirit and risk-taking ethos of the great period of Earth exploration, from Columbus to Amundsen, but which has nowadays being replaced with a culture of safety and political correctness.

Death in Space

What happens if someone dies out there, months away from Earth? Promession entails freezing a body, vibrating it into tiny pieces, and then freeze-drying the pieces, which can then be used as compost to grow a memorial shrub or tree. The pair recently collaborated with NASA and design students in Denmark and Sweden to adapt Promession for use on a Mars mission.

you will be reduced to shards, for safe return to earth.