NASA to Make BIG Announcement Live on Thursday - Another Earth?!

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: NeoSpace
It will be somthing boring like they found bacteria on Mars.

You think THAT would be boring!?!?!

wow.

That would be one of the greatest discoveries in the history of greatest discoveries (assuming it didn't hitch a ride from Earth) because it would confirm that life is common in the universe.

Yeah it would be nice for them to admit something I strongly suspect. But I'd have to believe there's a good chance it came from Earth. Or maybe our bacteria came from Mars long ago... O.O It would still be one of the greatest discoveries, I think. First example of life on another planet, either way.

originally posted by: 3n19m470
a reply to: JadeStar

(transgender)

Wait. What?

Oh, my God... All this time...?

Um yes. Born female brained, in a wrong body. My parents let me start living as a girl at 7. I was put on hormone blockers at 12 and estrogen treatment at 14 (not unlike Jazz in the TLC show "I Am Jazz" - new episode airs tonight on TLC btw).

I was the first transgender student in my high school, etc.

But that is for another thread. You can read about all of that and see what my parents had to say in this ATS thread (starting on page 7).

Getting back on topic at least a little...

I think I said somewhere in that thread that I think part of the reason I am into looking for real alien life is because i myself felt like some kind of alien as a child until age 7. Not knowing anyone else like you and being alienated for your behavior which was at odds with the gender you presented to society was very alien.

So i read a lot of sci-fi and factual science books. All of the above as well as studying the stars with my father also had an influence in my educational path and career choice.

originally posted by: 3n19m470

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: NeoSpace
It will be somthing boring like they found bacteria on Mars.

You think THAT would be boring!?!?!

wow.

That would be one of the greatest discoveries in the history of greatest discoveries (assuming it didn't hitch a ride from Earth) because it would confirm that life is common in the universe.

Yeah it would be nice for them to admit something I strongly suspect. But I'd have to believe there's a good chance it came from Earth. Or maybe our bacteria came from Mars long ago... O.O It would still be one of the greatest discoveries, I think. First example of life on another planet, either way.

Yes. There are ways to check if it were from Earth. But if it were confirmed not from Earth then you could expect the space program to get a huge, Apollo-like boost in funding.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Well said, I too get disappointed every time they hold these conferences to the point I don't even pay attention to them anymore, just figure if it is truly great news I will hear about it anyway.

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
a reply to: JadeStar

I had read some information that NASA had recently found a Jupiter sized planet in orbit around a star similar to ours at roughly the same distance as our own Jupiter.

That is true but that planet circling HIP 11915 isn't the first Jupiter-like planet in a Jupiter-like orbit. Just the latest one.

could it be they also spotted an earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of the same system?

Anything is possible but that's highly unlikely since that planet was not spotted by Kepler (this announcement seems tied with Kepler). Nor is HIP 11915 in the star field which Kepler studied. HIP 11915 is in a different part of the sky entirely (in the constellation Cetus).

Awesome! I ask you because I know you're kinda the go-to gal for all this space and exoplanet stuff. Thank you for clarifying! I'm a space enthusiast, but clearly I'm no expert on practical knowledge.

Thank you.

BTW: If this exoplanet stuff really interests you and you'd like to become almost an exoplanet expert, there are free online entry-level courses through edX and elsewhere which anyone with a high school education can take. They are put together or taught by some very notable people in the field of exoplanets, astrobiology and comparative planetology.

Here is one example: Alien Worlds: The Science of Exoplanet Discovery and Characterization - edX

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out, though to be honest I'll probably stay in my bubble of knowing JUST enough to be interesting at cocktail parties.

The math is where I falter. Math has never been a strong suit for me, and kept me out of more STEM fields such as physics.

Don't feel bad. People assume all of us science types grew up loving math.

Wrong.

I know personally I struggled a little with it but saw it as a necessary thing for me to get to where I wanted to go so i just studied harder. That didn't mean I liked it. (hated trigonometry, i think i even hated algebra at first too! lol!).

Like a lot of things in my life, it got better.

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
a reply to: JadeStar

I had read some information that NASA had recently found a Jupiter sized planet in orbit around a star similar to ours at roughly the same distance as our own Jupiter.

That is true but that planet circling HIP 11915 isn't the first Jupiter-like planet in a Jupiter-like orbit. Just the latest one.

could it be they also spotted an earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of the same system?

Anything is possible but that's highly unlikely since that planet was not spotted by Kepler (this announcement seems tied with Kepler). Nor is HIP 11915 in the star field which Kepler studied. HIP 11915 is in a different part of the sky entirely (in the constellation Cetus).

Awesome! I ask you because I know you're kinda the go-to gal for all this space and exoplanet stuff. Thank you for clarifying! I'm a space enthusiast, but clearly I'm no expert on practical knowledge.

Thank you.

BTW: If this exoplanet stuff really interests you and you'd like to become almost an exoplanet expert, there are free online entry-level courses through edX and elsewhere which anyone with a high school education can take. They are put together or taught by some very notable people in the field of exoplanets, astrobiology and comparative planetology.

Here is one example: Alien Worlds: The Science of Exoplanet Discovery and Characterization - edX

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out, though to be honest I'll probably stay in my bubble of knowing JUST enough to be interesting at cocktail parties.

The math is where I falter. Math has never been a strong suit for me, and kept me out of more STEM fields such as physics.

Don't feel bad. People assume all of us science types grew up loving math.

Wrong.

I know personally I struggled a little with it but saw it as a necessary thing for me to get to where I wanted to go so i just studied harder. It didn't mean I liked it. (hated trigonometry, i think i even hated algebra at first too! lol!).

Like a lot of things in my life, it got better.

I'm glad you got better at it! I've tried and tried to understand math (at least the more complicated concepts) and I fail to make the right connections. Something in my brain just refuses to parse what I'm looking at when it comes to math. I'd probably have been able to overcome my math difficulties if I had better teachers, but being raised in Rural New Mexico, the teachers were more interested in giving failing football stars A's than helping me with my struggle with numbers. It's alright, though. I excelled in other areas like English and whatnot. And I became very technically inclined with computers (I was literally the IT girl at my high school. They even gave me the key to the server room. I installed Quake 2 on it and we all played Quake during computer class. I could have altered my grades, but the school was so small they'd have noticed)

So I chased the passion and here I am in Japan doing something I love! I have no regrets. I digress.

I find most NASA "groundbreaking" announcements to be rather dull for the layman, but since I'm a space enthusiast I always look forward to them!

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
a reply to: JadeStar

I had read some information that NASA had recently found a Jupiter sized planet in orbit around a star similar to ours at roughly the same distance as our own Jupiter.

That is true but that planet circling HIP 11915 isn't the first Jupiter-like planet in a Jupiter-like orbit. Just the latest one.

could it be they also spotted an earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of the same system?

Anything is possible but that's highly unlikely since that planet was not spotted by Kepler (this announcement seems tied with Kepler). Nor is HIP 11915 in the star field which Kepler studied. HIP 11915 is in a different part of the sky entirely (in the constellation Cetus).

Awesome! I ask you because I know you're kinda the go-to gal for all this space and exoplanet stuff. Thank you for clarifying! I'm a space enthusiast, but clearly I'm no expert on practical knowledge.

Thank you.

BTW: If this exoplanet stuff really interests you and you'd like to become almost an exoplanet expert, there are free online entry-level courses through edX and elsewhere which anyone with a high school education can take. They are put together or taught by some very notable people in the field of exoplanets, astrobiology and comparative planetology.

Here is one example: Alien Worlds: The Science of Exoplanet Discovery and Characterization - edX

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out, though to be honest I'll probably stay in my bubble of knowing JUST enough to be interesting at cocktail parties.

The math is where I falter. Math has never been a strong suit for me, and kept me out of more STEM fields such as physics.

Don't feel bad. People assume all of us science types grew up loving math.

Wrong.

I know personally I struggled a little with it but saw it as a necessary thing for me to get to where I wanted to go so i just studied harder. It didn't mean I liked it. (hated trigonometry, i think i even hated algebra at first too! lol!).

Like a lot of things in my life, it got better.

I'm glad you got better at it! I've tried and tried to understand math (at least the more complicated concepts) and I fail to make the right connections. Something in my brain just refuses to parse what I'm looking at when it comes to math.

Yes, i know what you mean! My strongest subject through school was actually English, writing, etc. Math was not my strong area like, ever.

Then one day in Algebra 2 there was like this breakthrough where suddenly I just "got it". Something clicked. It's hard to describe. It was a weird thing, i mean the whole class just felt different. Equations and expressions were no longer abstract things. They were a new language and I could speak it! Crazy huh?

I'd probably have been able to overcome my math difficulties if I had better teachers, but being raised in Rural New Mexico, the teachers were more interested in giving failing football stars A's than helping me with my struggle with numbers.

It's like that in Mexico too huh? Just goes to show how similar things are in different parts of the world. STEM education in the U.S. needs to be a lot better. That starts with teachers but they are woefully underpaid. (My big sister, the oldest one, is a teacher.) It seems everyone WANTS education to be better but they do not want to put the resources into the "front line" people who MAKE it better.

I'm so sorry that you experienced that. However just like learning a new language, it's never too late if you have a passion to learn.

BTW: The math in those online courses is EASY. If you passed high school Algebra and Geometry you'll be fine.

It's alright, though. I excelled in other areas like English and whatnot.

I loved English. I still feel it's probably my stronger area. Literature, creative writing, etc. Someone I met who is an accomplished professor once suggested that if and when I ever tire of the academia track I become a science communicator or even science advocate/lobbyist. That idea intrigues me but there will be plenty of time to decide on that, many years from now.

For now I just study hard and try not to make mistakes which can be avoided through careful examination.

And I became very technically inclined with computers (I was literally the IT girl at my high school. They even gave me the key to the server room. I installed Quake 2 on it and we all played Quake during computer class. I could have altered my grades, but the school was so small they'd have noticed)

YOU ARE AWESOME!

That's a great story you have.

Hey, if you are technically inclined you could always do IT for organizations involved in this research. Or you could become a software engineer.

Most of us work in python so if you know that well, then you can work with a lot of space/astronomy people. Hubble, Kepler, etc all use data pipelines which feed python apps.

So I chased the passion and here I am in Japan doing something I love! I have no regrets. I digress.

Ok forget what I said above. If you are doing what you love, keep doing it!
Also Japan is Beautiful!!!! I've been there! You are SO lucky!

I find most NASA "groundbreaking" announcements to be rather dull for the layman, but since I'm a space enthusiast I always look forward to them!

I agree.

The thing people have to understand is that they have to walk a fine line because they are making these announcements not just for the layman public but for other scientists. So something which seems extremely exciting to me (like cloud maps of exoplanets) might bore the average person who won't be satisfied until we have proof of technological extraterrestrial civilizations.

If the bar is THAT high, then yeah, i can see where they would underwhelm.

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
a reply to: JadeStar

I had read some information that NASA had recently found a Jupiter sized planet in orbit around a star similar to ours at roughly the same distance as our own Jupiter.

That is true but that planet circling HIP 11915 isn't the first Jupiter-like planet in a Jupiter-like orbit. Just the latest one.

could it be they also spotted an earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of the same system?

Anything is possible but that's highly unlikely since that planet was not spotted by Kepler (this announcement seems tied with Kepler). Nor is HIP 11915 in the star field which Kepler studied. HIP 11915 is in a different part of the sky entirely (in the constellation Cetus).

Awesome! I ask you because I know you're kinda the go-to gal for all this space and exoplanet stuff. Thank you for clarifying! I'm a space enthusiast, but clearly I'm no expert on practical knowledge.

Thank you.

BTW: If this exoplanet stuff really interests you and you'd like to become almost an exoplanet expert, there are free online entry-level courses through edX and elsewhere which anyone with a high school education can take. They are put together or taught by some very notable people in the field of exoplanets, astrobiology and comparative planetology.

Here is one example: Alien Worlds: The Science of Exoplanet Discovery and Characterization - edX

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out, though to be honest I'll probably stay in my bubble of knowing JUST enough to be interesting at cocktail parties.

The math is where I falter. Math has never been a strong suit for me, and kept me out of more STEM fields such as physics.

Don't feel bad. People assume all of us science types grew up loving math.

Wrong.

I know personally I struggled a little with it but saw it as a necessary thing for me to get to where I wanted to go so i just studied harder. It didn't mean I liked it. (hated trigonometry, i think i even hated algebra at first too! lol!).

Like a lot of things in my life, it got better.

I'm glad you got better at it! I've tried and tried to understand math (at least the more complicated concepts) and I fail to make the right connections. Something in my brain just refuses to parse what I'm looking at when it comes to math.

Yes, i know what you mean! My strongest subject through school was actually English, writing, etc. Math was not my strong area like, ever.

Then one day in Algebra 2 there was like this breakthrough where suddenly I just "got it". Something clicked. It's hard to describe. It was a weird thing, i mean the whole class just felt different. Equations and expressions were no longer abstract things. They were a new language and I could speak it!

Crazy huh?

I'd probably have been able to overcome my math difficulties if I had better teachers, but being raised in Rural New Mexico, the teachers were more interested in giving failing football stars A's than helping me with my struggle with numbers.

It's like that in Mexico too huh? Just goes to show how similar things are in different parts of the world. STEM education in the U.S. needs to be a lot better. That starts with teachers but they are woefully underpaid. (My big sister, the oldest one, is a teacher.) It seems everyone WANTS education to be better but they do not want to put the resources into the "front line" people who MAKE it better.

I'm so sorry that you experienced that. However just like learning a new language, it's never too late if you have a passion to learn.

BTW: The math in those online courses is EASY. If you passed high school Algebra and Geometry you'll be fine.

It's alright, though. I excelled in other areas like English and whatnot.

I loved English. I still feel it's probably my stronger area. Literature, creative writing, etc. Someone I met who is an accomplished professor once suggested that if and when I ever tire of the academia track I become a science communicator or even science advocate/lobbyist. That idea intrigues me but there will be plenty of time to decide on that, many years from now.

For now I just study hard and try not to make mistakes which can be avoided through careful examination.

And I became very technically inclined with computers (I was literally the IT girl at my high school. They even gave me the key to the server room. I installed Quake 2 on it and we all played Quake during computer class. I could have altered my grades, but the school was so small they'd have noticed)

YOU ARE AWESOME!

That's a great story you have.

Hey, if you are technically inclined you could always do IT for organizations involved in this research. Or you could become a software engineer.

Most of us work in python so if you know that well, then you can work with a lot of space/astronomy people. Hubble, Kepler, etc all use data pipelines which feed python apps.

So I chased the passion and here I am in Japan doing something I love! I have no regrets. I digress.

Ok forget what I said above. If you are doing what you love, keep doing it!
Also Japan is Beautiful!!!! I've been there! You are SO lucky!

I find most NASA "groundbreaking" announcements to be rather dull for the layman, but since I'm a space enthusiast I always look forward to them!

I agree.

The thing people have to understand is that they have to walk a fine line because they are making these announcements not just for the layman public but for other scientists. So something which seems extremely exciting to me (like cloud maps of exoplanets) might bore the average person who won't be satisfied until we have proof of technological extraterrestrial civilizations.

If the bar is THAT high, then yeah, i can see where they would underwhelm.

Yeah I feel like if I had better teachers I'd be a little better at math. The Hubble and Kepler projects use Python? That's awesome! I haven't written in python in a long time, but I could probably do it again. And I agree, Japan is awesome! After I graduated college I kinda didn't know exactly what I wanted to do or where I wanted to be, so I started teaching English overseas to try and find myself. I spent some time in South Korea and ended up in Japan through the JET programme, and I never looked back. I don't teach English anymore, though. As my program was coming to a close I started looking for a job in the field I graduated in (Comp Sci), and luckily found a company that would sponsor my resident status here once the JET programme came to a close. I've been here ever since, and I plan to naturalize hopefully by the end of the year. I'll be an official Japanese Citizen!!! I'm so excited.

originally posted by: KellyPrettyBear
a reply to: ChiefD

Yup. We aren't sapient enough to
be allowed to mingle with any
sane and civilized species which may
or may not exist.

Kev

Speak for yourself!

Why can't those of us capable of being part of a larger galactic community be taken away, leaving the less civilized people of Earth behind?

a reply to: ghostrager

Unless it's a huge crashed space ship on Pluto or Ceres, forgetaboutit.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom

originally posted by: KellyPrettyBear
a reply to: ChiefD

Yup. We aren't sapient enough to
be allowed to mingle with any
sane and civilized species which may
or may not exist.

Kev

Speak for yourself!

Why can't those of us capable of being part of a larger galactic community be taken away, leaving the less civilized people of Earth behind?

Do you really want to leave Earth in the care of those people?

You monster.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

They can have Earth as long as I get to live on a spaceship and visit other worlds!

Maybe one day they'll get their act together, but until then I'm still waiting, holding my ticket to ride.

I'm only 5'5" ... I don't weigh a lot or eat much. I'd be perfect for space travel.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Fair enough. Though, that's like giving your keys to some crack addicts when you buy another house somewhere and saying "Y'all take good care of this place, now."

You may leave with wishful thinking, but you'll return to a smoked-out meth house!

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

Yeah I feel like if I had better teachers I'd be a little better at math. The Hubble and Kepler projects use Python?

Yes... I'm not sure you've seen these but this is kinda the story of the life of an:







As you can see, the reality of both is....living in python apps.

That's awesome! I haven't written in python in a long time, but I could probably do it again.

If you do there are plenty of openings available throughout the various missions. And a new one called TESS is in development an on course for launch in 2017. It's data pipeline is going to be almost identical to Kepler so there shall be python. Then a year later the James Webb Space Telescope goes up. Yep, more python.

And I agree, Japan is awesome! After I graduated college I kinda didn't know exactly what I wanted to do or where I wanted to be, so I started teaching English overseas to try and find myself. I spent some time in South Korea and ended up in Japan through the JET programme, and I never looked back. I don't teach English anymore, though. As my program was coming to a close I started looking for a job in the field I graduated in (Comp Sci), and luckily found a company that would sponsor my resident status here once the JET programme came to a close. I've been here ever since, and I plan to naturalize hopefully by the end of the year. I'll be an official Japanese Citizen!!! I'm so excited.

Congratulations! I have a good friend who is from Kawasaki City. She is an engineer, 8 years older who has a similar backstory (which is how we met actually).

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun

originally posted by: MystikMushroom

originally posted by: KellyPrettyBear
a reply to: ChiefD

Yup. We aren't sapient enough to
be allowed to mingle with any
sane and civilized species which may
or may not exist.

Kev

Speak for yourself!

Why can't those of us capable of being part of a larger galactic community be taken away, leaving the less civilized people of Earth behind?

Do you really want to leave Earth in the care of those people?

You monster.

All would perish within a year. Two tops.

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
a reply to: MystikMushroom

Fair enough. Though, that's like giving your keys to some crack addicts when you buy another house somewhere and saying "Y'all take good care of this place, now."

You may leave with wishful thinking, but you'll return to a smoked-out meth house!

^^^ THIS.

Burned to the ground with the people inside most likely.

a reply to: JadeStar

Who's to say I would ever want to come back? LOL

a reply to: ghostrager

While NASA has been known to make mountains of molehills in the past, I would think it would have to be a pretty remarkable exoplanet discovery. We have already found at least dozens of earth-like exoplanets around the galaxy. One more isn't that impressive. Unless it has either signs of life or they were able to get definitive confirmation that it is very earth-like, meaning it would have to be close. I could go on in a multi-page diatribe on the many things it could be, but I guess we will have to just wait and see if it's a mountain or a molehill.

as exciting as it sounds, it still makes me ask what's the point if we can't go there anyway? *sigh*

originally posted by: MystikMushroom

originally posted by: KellyPrettyBear
a reply to: ChiefD

Yup. We aren't sapient enough to
be allowed to mingle with any
sane and civilized species which may
or may not exist.

Kev

Speak for yourself!

Why can't those of us capable of being part of a larger galactic community be taken away, leaving the less civilized people of Earth behind?

Well I must not be sapient enough either, because
I've been yelling "Beam me up Scotty!" since the
late sixties to no effect!

But frankly, I suspect that 99.9999999% of 'sapient'
life in our Universe, if any, is not composed of
'normal matter' at all.

That leaves us in the low rent part of town.

Kev