It Is Time To Demand A Satellite Dedicated To Alpha Centauri Observation!

In an article today several things were revealed. Firstly; there is probably a second planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B a little farther out than The now disputed AB b. Secondly Hubble could probably see this baby but that isn't going to happen because it would take at least twenty days of staring at that target and nothing else. This means planets with longer orbital periods are even less likely to be found unless they are giants. Thirdly; a satellite that could be dedicated to stalking planets in Alpha centauri would cost as little as 2 million. That's NASA couch and car seat change to do. it could even be crowd funded. it is certainly something private uni's could do without even missing the money. Alpha Centauri and its cohort (alpha proxima, Rigel Kentaurus, Alpha Centauri B) are the most urgent of subjects because if we do find something there we CAN actually do something about that with realistic technology. Yet They have been ignored neglected dismissed as uninteresting...

www.newscientist.com...

The time has come to stop screwing around and do something vital to science. The very minute we find and verify an interesting planet in alpha centauri is the moment every space capable government, corporation, university and rich persons (branson, Bigalowe, etc) begins researching and designing advanced propulsion systems to get there.

For the (many times less than the ) price of an unnecessary extravagant entrance foyer built incessantly by puffed up universities the world over it could have already been done.

Yeah you'd think a billionaire (or muti-millionaire) could help foot the bill in exchange for naming rights or something.

It would be historic should it find something. "The Bill Gates eye in the sky discovered what came to be known as Earth Part Deux (probably need a better name)

a reply to: stormbringer1701

Just had to..

Actually, I would like to add something. Where I come from, investing in science is totally neglected by the government. I mean, my country is one of the two countries that are part of the EU but are not part of the ESA. Being part of the ESA costs the state annually like 1 mln euro and you basically get your money back every year. And I read your thread and you say 2 mln. euro like it's nothing. Which it actually is. I am sure that a project like this could be easily publicly funded.

originally posted by: stormbringer1701
In an article today several things were revealed. Firstly; there is probably a second planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B a little farther out than The now disputed AB b. Secondly Hubble could probably see this baby but that isn't going to happen because it would take at least twenty days of staring at that target and nothing else. This means planets with longer orbital periods are even less likely to be found unless they are giants. Thirdly; a satellite that could be dedicated to stalking planets in Alpha centauri would cost as little as 2 million. That's NASA couch and car seat change to do. it could even be crowd funded. it is certainly something private uni's could do without even missing the money. Alpha Centauri and its cohort (alpha proxima, Rigel Kentaurus, Alpha Centauri B) are the most urgent of subjects because if we do find something there we CAN actually do something about that with realistic technology. Yet They have been ignored neglected dismissed as uninteresting...

www.newscientist.com...

The time has come to stop screwing around and do something vital to science. The very minute we find and verify an interesting planet in alpha centauri is the moment every space capable government, corporation, university and rich persons (branson, Bigalowe, etc) begins researching and designing advanced propulsion systems to get there.

For the (many times less than the ) price of an unnecessary extravagant entrance foyer built incessantly by puffed up universities the world over it could have already been done.

Nasa was given for free two Hubble equivalent space telescopes a few years ago by the NSA. Seems this would be a good mission for one of them. Just need a Rocket and update the electronics. Read below

Space.com

originally posted by: Xeven

Nasa was given for free two Hubble equivalent space telescopes a few years ago by the NSA. Seems this would be a good mission for one of them. Just need a Rocket and update the electronics. Read below

Space.com

interesting. one of the telescopes has been given a worthy alternate mission but nothing was said of what the other one would be used for. reading the comments there may be significant additional engineering needed to use the scopes for astronomy. I don't know if that is true or not. but if it is bus sized that means in addition to additional costs of engineering you would need a dedicated heavy lift rocket which costs a lot more money. I get the impression that the 2 million plus small satellite idea would be significantly cheaper yet have the requisite power needed to do the job and require a much smaller rocket to get into space.

It's a good idea but i do not think it's a cheaper idea.

originally posted by: raikata

Just had to..

Actually, I would like to add something. Where I come from, investing in science is totally neglected by the government. I mean, my country is one of the two countries that are part of the EU but are not part of the ESA. Being part of the ESA costs the state annually like 1 mln euro and you basically get your money back every year. And I read your thread and you say 2 mln. euro like it's nothing. Which it actually is. I am sure that a project like this could be easily publicly funded.

Indeed. you are absolutely correct. Sad but true.

originally posted by: DuckforcoveR
Yeah you'd think a billionaire (or muti-millionaire) could help foot the bill in exchange for naming rights or something.

It would be historic should it find something. "The Bill Gates eye in the sky discovered what came to be known as Earth Part Deux (probably need a better name)

a reply to: stormbringer1701

oh very easily. i could see any number of individuals in America, the UK, Europe, Russia, Japan, China and the Middle East doing this in a heartbeat just for the prestige or naming rights and even Crowd funding would likely easily succeed.


Naming rights; telescope and or planets, moons, and a Deed to 20K square acres of land on any planet that is not under ownership by current sentient tenants. obviously kind of pointless unless we can get there but still it would be bragging rights.

"i own a 20K acre ranch and mineral rights on Rigel Kentaurus [s] D [/s] (Gates' World!) "

Planet coca cola.

originally posted by: glend
Planet coca cola.

One would hope the namer would have the taste not to make terrans an embarrassment to everyone withing 150 light years.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

After all of the lies we heard originally about what the Hubble could and could not image, I cannot believe their explanation. It is worded to indicate that they can image it, but it would take too long for it to ascertain the orbit. I would want a good explanation for that. After all, it is the star closest to us. Is the Kepler not able to pick up a planet around Alpha Centuri when it picks them up all around the galaxy?

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: stormbringer1701

After all of the original lies we heard originally about what the Hubble could and could not image, I cannot believe their explanation. It is worded to indicate that they can image it, but it would take too long for it to ascertain the orbit. I would want a good explanation for that. After all, it is the star closest to us. Is the Kepler not able to pick up a planet around Alpha Centuri when it picks them up all around the galaxy?

There are others that could explain it better than me but there are two issues:

Hubble is a shared instrument and there is a governing body that allocates the observation time for all the astronomers that have access. observing time is divided into small intervals of time for any one entity wanting to use it. 20 days is a looooooong time in which the other authorized users are locked out of observation time. So it is not gonna happen. you need twenty days to ensure watching at a time when the planet is moving in front of the star if it is a transiting planet.

i am not entirely sure they can directly image the planet at the resolution available to Hubble so it is likely they would have to rely on a transit to verify the planet is there.

it is even worse if the planet has a larger orbital period.

originally posted by: DuckforcoveR
Yeah you'd think a billionaire (or muti-millionaire) could help foot the bill in exchange for naming rights or something.

It would be historic should it find something. "The Bill Gates eye in the sky discovered what came to be known as Earth Part Deux (probably need a better name)

a reply to: stormbringer1701

"Terra Nova"

originally posted by: stormbringer1701

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: stormbringer1701

After all of the original lies we heard originally about what the Hubble could and could not image, I cannot believe their explanation. It is worded to indicate that they can image it, but it would take too long for it to ascertain the orbit. I would want a good explanation for that. After all, it is the star closest to us. Is the Kepler not able to pick up a planet around Alpha Centuri when it picks them up all around the galaxy?

There are others that could explain it better than me but there are two issues:

Hubble is a shared instrument and there is a governing body that allocates the observation time for all the astronomers that have access. observing time is divided into small intervals of time for any one entity wanting to use it. 20 days is a looooooong time in which the other authorized users are locked out of observation time. So it is not gonna happen. you need twenty days to ensure watching at a time when the planet is moving in front of the star if it is a transiting planet.

i am not entirely sure they can directly image the planet at the resolution available to Hubble so it is likely they would have to rely on a transit to verify the planet is there.

it is even worse if the planet has a larger orbital period.

Perhaps your last line in the OP is indicative of where the problem really is:

"Yet They have been ignored neglected dismissed as uninteresting."

This opinion you offer on the excuses from the establishment echos exactly the stated views why an intense, deadly serious (and public) investigation has never been done about UFOs.

originally posted by: Aliensun

originally posted by: stormbringer1701

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: stormbringer1701

After all of the original lies we heard originally about what the Hubble could and could not image, I cannot believe their explanation. It is worded to indicate that they can image it, but it would take too long for it to ascertain the orbit. I would want a good explanation for that. After all, it is the star closest to us. Is the Kepler not able to pick up a planet around Alpha Centuri when it picks them up all around the galaxy?

There are others that could explain it better than me but there are two issues:

Hubble is a shared instrument and there is a governing body that allocates the observation time for all the astronomers that have access. observing time is divided into small intervals of time for any one entity wanting to use it. 20 days is a looooooong time in which the other authorized users are locked out of observation time. So it is not gonna happen. you need twenty days to ensure watching at a time when the planet is moving in front of the star if it is a transiting planet.

i am not entirely sure they can directly image the planet at the resolution available to Hubble so it is likely they would have to rely on a transit to verify the planet is there.

it is even worse if the planet has a larger orbital period.

Perhaps your last line in the OP is indicative of where the problem really is:

"Yet They have been ignored neglected dismissed as uninteresting."

This opinion you offer on the excuses from the establishment echos exactly the stated views why an intense, deadly serious (and public) investigation has never been done about UFOs.

...perhaps that is true in the public domain. I am pretty sure that if they are concerned with credible UFO incidents they are investigating though we may never hear of it beyond rumors, speculation and in the fringe.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

I'm all for it.

We need to learn as much as possible about our neighboring stars.

originally posted by: FalcoFan
a reply to: stormbringer1701

I'm all for it.

We need to learn as much as possible about our neighboring stars.

if we find a planet with so much as the signature of a fish tank algae on it it will cause a leap of space technology almost immediately to rival the technical fall out of world wars with out all the death and misery.

originally posted by: stormbringer1701
Alpha Centauri and its cohort (alpha proxima, Rigel Kentaurus, Alpha Centauri B) are the most urgent of subjects because if we do find something there we CAN actually do something about that with realistic technology. Yet They have been ignored neglected dismissed as uninteresting...

The time has come to stop screwing around and do something vital to science. The very minute we find and verify an interesting planet in alpha centauri is the moment every space capable government, corporation, university and rich persons (branson, Bigalowe, etc) begins researching and designing advanced propulsion systems to get there.

Who says they are not doing it? But keeping it in silence.

originally posted by: Abednego

originally posted by: stormbringer1701
Alpha Centauri and its cohort (alpha proxima, Rigel Kentaurus, Alpha Centauri B) are the most urgent of subjects because if we do find something there we CAN actually do something about that with realistic technology. Yet They have been ignored neglected dismissed as uninteresting...

The time has come to stop screwing around and do something vital to science. The very minute we find and verify an interesting planet in alpha centauri is the moment every space capable government, corporation, university and rich persons (branson, Bigalowe, etc) begins researching and designing advanced propulsion systems to get there.

Who says they are not doing it? But keeping it in silence.

Advanced propulsion or find a place to go with that propulsion?

I know of one credible private effort for advanced propulsion; but the gentleman involved is a septagenarian fighting two forms of stage 4 cancer. other than that there are a couple of semi private efforts for fusion powered space craft. the rest are marginalized garden workshop laboratory types with questionable theories and wild eyed tales.

originally posted by: stormbringer1701

originally posted by: Abednego

originally posted by: stormbringer1701
Alpha Centauri and its cohort (alpha proxima, Rigel Kentaurus, Alpha Centauri B) are the most urgent of subjects because if we do find something there we CAN actually do something about that with realistic technology. Yet They have been ignored neglected dismissed as uninteresting...

The time has come to stop screwing around and do something vital to science. The very minute we find and verify an interesting planet in alpha centauri is the moment every space capable government, corporation, university and rich persons (branson, Bigalowe, etc) begins researching and designing advanced propulsion systems to get there.

Who says they are not doing it? But keeping it in silence.

Advanced propulsion or find a place to go with that propulsion?

I know of one credible private effort for advanced propulsion; but the gentleman involved is a septagenarian fighting two forms of stage 4 cancer. other than that there are a couple of semi private efforts for fusion powered space craft. the rest are marginalized garden workshop laboratory types with questionable theories and wild eyed tales.

You rebuild the Saturn V.

Then boost to 25,000 mph, release the craft, activate the ion drive, wait 100 years for any return.

That is the problem.

Time, it is just too long and too far for our current tech.

The investment would take hundreds of millions of dollars and give nothing back in a human lifetime.

Maybe we will get lucky and the "warp" drive will work out.

Too bad it is unlikely that the Alpha Centauri B planets transit would be detectable. If we had an edge on view of the system something like Sara Seager's low cost ExoPlanetSat cubesats would do the trick....




NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) will look at the stars of Alpha Centauri but the same problem remains, if the planets transit can not be spotted because we're look down (or up) at the plane the planets orbit then transit spotting space telescopes will miss them.

We will have to wait for a comprehensive radial velocity search with one of the new 30m class telescopes or a direct imaging space telescope like Exo-C, Exo-S or something similar.