alien spaceship detected

I'd fervently hope they're not Communists (or whatever equivalent aliens have)

Seriously tho, I'd probably start stockpiling by any means necessary (here, it means raiding warehouses) and going into wait-and-see mode.

Not much else to do till we know more (or till the KEWs start falling ).

This question reminds me of a book called
"Life Probe" by Michael McCollum (1983, Del Rey)

FFI, see:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_McCollum
* http://www.amazon.com/Life-Probe-Michae ... 1929381026
* http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1397300.Life_Probe
* https://books.google.com/books/about/Li ... JaAAAAYAAJ


BTW, it seems someone has placed the entire audio book on Youtube...
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHE9uJPS3lE


p.s.:
Then of course, there's the entire plot of ST4:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek ... oyage_Home



.

viciokie wrote:
As the other guys were mentioning, if we could detect the ship that far out we can assume a couple things. 1 The aliens wanted us to see them and they have absolutely no reason to fear us at all. Also i would wager they know what our culture is like having taken the time to observe us for a while and they have decided that a intervention is needed to break us out of the psychotic episodes we are in.

Wow, the lack of logic for those assumptions...

That being said i really hope i have someone in charge who is extremely logical minded and not given towards irrational speculation on unfounded theories.

Smart thinking.


#####

HB of CJ wrote:Joat42 has hit it. Only it would be much more worserer than that. The bottom line is that ANY space alien capable of getting here from where ever would be so much more advanced than us that we would not stand a snowball's chance in hell. Yikes! Just making contact would change the planet totally and probably NOT for the good. Just me.

Seriously, what is it about wildassed assumptions out of the blue?

It´s like the worst kind of archaelogists "i don´t know what this is and i don´t understand it, ergo it must be ceremonial or religious!".

A visiting/fighting ship that size changes lots of things. Why so big? That raises many other questions. Slow boat? Fast boat? What is inside? Why? Colonists, (not good) or infrastructure for a long stay? Also not good.

Infrastructure is most likely a standardised setup and will have little to no bearing on intention. Colonists may be the same, it depends greatly on the mindset. For example, if you have to build large ships anyway, having colonists onboard could easily be standard procedure.

Dropping out of Warp with that long of final approach to get to Earth Orbit also says lots.

Or it might just tell us that whatever they used for FTL might not like going to "normal speed" too close to major gravity wells like planets of any kind.

Or they are uncertain what they will find and wants enough time to have a look before arrival.
This BTW is what HH and others does repeatedly in RFCs books. With any kind of rational mindset it has a decent probability of happening.

And if that advanced, why take us over? They can go elsewhere.

NOW you´re finally thinking.

Very advanced, but maybe not that advanced?

Remember, technologic advances are rarely linear, that is just a common myth of trying to make NOW look by default better than yesterday, which is supposed to be better than yesteryear and so on.

So, someone/something, could have FTL spaceflight ability but be otherwise on an early 20th century techlevel, as long as you can do what´s needed, you may find yourself not interested in developing something further.
And basically, earth could have pushed technology to get into space 50 years earlier, it would simply have been more dangerous.

But aliens might consider danger just the spice of life(as if we don´t have enough of THOSE on earth already!).

And so on...

What would I do? As far as the space aliens, nothing. Nothing I can do. As far as the world disruption, wars, panic, stupidity and etc.., perhaps quite a lot.

I always find it interesting that so many assume that finding out about aliens by default would create panic, no it would not.
The events that Joat42 describes however might cause some.

But really, if you look at big events, how often does people REALLY panic? Barely ever is the real answer.

And to note, running wildly from someone shooting at a crowd or something isn´t so much panic as common sense, but as a crowd in total the effect is panic, however that is not how people react to less direct potential dangers and unknowns.

People worry but get on with their lives as best they can.



#####

peke wrote:I'd fervently hope they're not Communists (or whatever equivalent aliens have)

Why? Because if they were that would mean they were much less likely to try to either conquer or lord it over us.

One of the most basic tenets of communism is that everyone has by default an equal value, and it´s pretty hard to justify treating other sentients badly if you believe that.
Remember, Star Trek earth and UFP, pretty much advanced tech communists.

So, communist aliens? Hell yes, please!

It is if they´re hardcore capitalists we should start running scared, because that would mean that they expect their visit to end up profitable. And aside from knick-nacks and shiny "native" trinkets, not much they can get nicely from earth that is likely to provide such profit.

If they´re explorers, it could be good or bad, if they just think its lovely fun to go out and find new places, everythings probably going to be cool, but if they have a -reason- to explore, might be harmless, but could also be quite harmful indeed.

Seriously tho, I'd probably start stockpiling by any means necessary (here, it means raiding warehouses) and going into wait-and-see mode.

Not much else to do till we know more (or till the KEWs start falling

Oh there´s lots that could be done. I would make sure to chat a bit with the local homeguard folks. Make sure people in charge do something worthwhile. Or take charge if need be.
Probably try to brush up on my rusty linguistics skills, maybe try to get my brother to join in(he´s a trained codebreaker, which is a halfdecent start for analysing a new language)...

Basically everything i could think of that might help to prepare if incoming aliens are either friendly or hostile.

Ensign Re-read wrote:This question reminds me of a book called
"Life Probe" by Michael McCollum (1983, Del Rey)

FFI, see:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_McCollum
* http://www.amazon.com/Life-Probe-Michae ... 1929381026
* http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1397300.Life_Probe
* https://books.google.com/books/about/Li ... JaAAAAYAAJ


BTW, it seems someone has placed the entire audio book on Youtube...
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHE9uJPS3lE


p.s.:
Then of course, there's the entire plot of ST4:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek ... oyage_Home



.

Remember the "life probe" situation in the Babylon 5 series?
Prove yourself worthy enough and it promised lots of free lunch(tech/knowledge)...
Buuut in the end they realised the thing was really the other way around, prove yourself capable enough, and it would automatically selfdestruct and take as much of you with it, because if you know that much you might be powerful enough to be a threat to its makers...



Not the best episode, but it is interesting.

Interesting thread and thank you. I suppose all of this discussion means that pretty much anything could happen for practically any reason. We just do not know what or who they could be or what they may want.

Not enough information. Maybe they are on space tour and the ship is a space liner taking aliens around showing off dumb primitive planets still around before the residences (humans) blow them selves up?

A hundred good logical possibilites exist and all of them are probably wrong. Getting back to earth here, I think the entire planet will go bananas. Nukes may fly. All bets off. Pay backs occure.

Or ... and this is a reach, could the various world governments who control all the available space telescopes censor all contact well enough that we do not know it is comming? Govs know, but folks do not?

This would make a good movie. And at the very end we find out it is all a hoax? Now that would be cruel indeed. The planet in ruins, half of everybody dead and it was all a bad joke? Oh boy. HB of CJ (oldest coot)

HB of CJ wrote:Interesting thread and thank you. I suppose all of this discussion means that pretty much anything could happen for practically any reason. We just do not know what or who they could be or what they may want.

Exactly. Just look at all the weird stuff and ideas humans go for, any of those COULD be the motivation of an alien, or it could be something literally alien to us.

HB of CJ wrote:Getting back to earth here, I think the entire planet will go bananas. Nukes may fly. All bets off. Pay backs occure.

There´s always some risk of idiots happening to be in charge at just the wrong time and place, but it´s not very likely.

HB of CJ wrote:Or ... and this is a reach, could the various world governments who control all the available space telescopes censor all contact well enough that we do not know it is comming? Govs know, but folks do not?

Extremely unlikely. There´s too many of them with far too diverse set of people employed, not to mention how many nations have a very open policy in regards to that kind of information, like here, if someone TRIED to hide that kind of information it would be instantly obvious (because a lot of astronomers have constant updating from various telescopes running) and essentially doomed to fail.

HB of CJ wrote:This would make a good movie. And at the very end we find out it is all a hoax? Now that would be cruel indeed. The planet in ruins, half of everybody dead and it was all a bad joke? Oh boy.

Shit happens.

After much noggin scratching and pondering, I have come to a conclusion that good planets are very hard to find and far between and far too few. Now a big visitor? Yikes! Does not look good at all. HB

More. Never assume. Always default to the worst possible condition or potential. Always look towards the darkest blackest outcome and mag that by 10 or so. Then you are less likely to be caught with your pants down around your ankles.

I know I am paranoid. Am I paranoid enough?

Why so gloomy? Because to be an optionist in this situation MAY be very fatal very quick. And ... there is no guarantee being such a doom and gloomer will save you any. You will probably still die horribly, only you might stand a chance.

Better to go down on your feet swinging than on your knees kow towing.

I suppose this results from lifes hard knocks. Lots of folks today, for whatever reason, have had a warm, safe, cousy upbringing and have never been hurt. Many older people like me have had a rough go. Nothing should be assumed to be good.

I would rather try and be wrong than to wimp out and also be wrong.

A huge ship. Over a month to watch it. Apparently it will drop into Earth orbit? Yikes? The universe may not be a kind place. Evolution rite very large and nasty. Just them arriving would set off all the crazies world wide. Use your imagination. Very bad.

Things are interesting now. Can you imagine after detection?

We moved from central Kommiefornika to SW OR USA back in 1986 or so. Political and economic refugees. We have been prepping now for over 25 years. Perhaps we are the loonies? Might. We do not think so. Even we would have a very hard time of it. Yikes!

The problem up here is not enough food and too many crazy people.

HB of CJ (old coot) Jn. Capt. I love this Forum except for a few. No spelll chzk. I can't speell. Slight TIA. More Yikes!

I know I am paranoid. Am I paranoid enough?

I´m probably worse.

Tenshinai wrote:

I know I am paranoid. Am I paranoid enough?

I´m probably worse.

Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean that they're not out to get you...