"NASA just proved it can Navigate Space Using...." Topic

…. PULSARS. WHERE TO NOW.

"HALF A CENTURY ago, astronomers observed their first pulsar: a dead, distant, ludicrously dense star that emitted pulses of radiation with remarkable regularity. So consistent was the object's signal that astronomers jokingly nicknamed it LGM-1, short for "little green men."

It wasn't long before scientists detected more signals like LGM-1. That decreased the odds that these pulses of radiation were the work of intelligent extraterrestrials. But the identification of other pulsars presented another possibility: Perhaps objects like LGM-1 could be used to navigate future missions to deep space. With the right sensors and navigational algorithms, the thinking went, a spacecraft could autonomously determine its position in space by timing the reception of signals from multiple pulsars…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Very interesting news!

Wasn't there a gold disc on the Voyager space that showed how to find Earth using Pulsars.

Also remember a Sci-Fi novel where the ships were travelling through dust clouds & using Pulsars to navigate.

Hey, that's awesome. Now get off your butts and make a real drive. Navigation doesn't mean squat if you don't have enough delta-v/isp to get anywhere.

There's an episode in Babylon 5 where the human government cuts a deal with a war criminal who can provide practical immortality to mankind. On the way off the station the Vorlons destroy the criminal's ship.

The Vorlons Ambassador notes to Sheridan, "You are not ready for immortality."

The last thing the cosmos needs is for humanity to get star drive.

Colonial Earth how can that go bad.

Glad you enjoyed it my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

KPinder: "The last thing the cosmos needs is for humanity to get star drive."

Lol. People keep saying that but …

WHAT IF humans, as flawed as we are, happen to be THE most benign of all the star-faring races?

Just think of humans as a benign tumor that you put up with for a while, so you can deal with all the really deadly cancerous ones first. :)

What if we are the common cold in a universe full of ebolas? Or, better yet, what if WE are the cowpox that the rest of the galaxy needs to survive a massive and full deadly smallpox epidemic?

Dan
PS. What if it is WE humans who finally level the playing field and finally give all the disenfranchised in the galaxy a fighting chance against a brutal powerful adversary?