OffEvent28 t1_ivlfrhb wrote
Given how short a time we have been able to identify such interstellar visitors (decades?) the odds that the first one we see is an actual interstellar craft is zero. This all sounds like a fund raising mission to me.
Question: Given what we know about Oumuamua's trajectory how many centuries ago did it last pass by another star? So some aliens built an interstellar probe, that took how many years to get to us, and all it did was fly though our solar system without even saying "Hi"?
Orlando1701 t1_ivmd7tn wrote
Exactly. Just like what are the odds that if someone beamed a signal at us it would happen now with us being able to detect it vs. beaming it at us in 1283.
LiberalFartsMajor t1_ivu35q0 wrote
Shouldn't we prepare to investigate all interstellar visitors? Or just risk getting caught with our pants down?
Tech_Philosophy t1_ivtgqkf wrote
> This all sounds like a fund raising mission to me.
Fund raising for what? Unless you are alleging fraud, it sounds like the scientists believe in the mission, in which case it's not appropriate to criticize the fund raising, but the goal.
Scientists have no difficulty generating a paycheck. If they are bothering to fund raise, it's because of what they want to work on.
OffEvent28 t1_ivyo4u0 wrote
Some fund raising is for purposes that most people support, some is for things that most people think is a waste of money. Even waste of money causes have to pay their employees salaries, retirement benefits, health insurance. No fraud at all.
Their project is one whose time I don't think has come yet. Lots of money to get some picture from a long distance fly-by that may or may not even conclusively identify what the object is. What would be needed would be an intercept and rendezvous that would require a probe that could match course and speed with the interstellar visitor. Don't think we can do that yet. At any sane cost anyway.
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