"johac" <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote in message
news:jhachm-7828A1.22542012052004@news-60.giganews.com...

In article <1084392987.60063@athnrd02.forthnet.gr>,
"Goodness Godless" <goodness@godless.net> wrote:

"Kevin Anthoney" <kevin_anthoney@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:da0b0$40a2844e$51569c09$16470@nf3.news-service-com...

OK, so this one's not much to look at. But it could be the first

actual

photo of a planet orbiting another star.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3707185.stm

"johac" <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote in message
news:jhachm-7828A1.22542012052004@news-60.giganews.com...

In article <1084392987.60063@athnrd02.forthnet.gr>,
"Goodness Godless" <goodness@godless.net> wrote:

"Kevin Anthoney" <kevin_anthoney@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:da0b0$40a2844e$51569c09$16470@nf3.news-service-com...

OK, so this one's not much to look at. But it could be the first

actual

photo of a planet orbiting another star.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3707185.stm

--
Kevin Anthoney
kanthoney[a]dsl.pipex.com

Yes! Wow, I was going to post this.
Just to know what the lenth of it year is and some real data.
We may still be alone, but this if it is replicated, is a real
'other' solar system.
And less that 100 light years away.

I was going to post it too. This is exiting stuff. Damn! I hope that
they don't let Hubble die. At least until we get a replacement.

Not too take this too far off-subject, but IMHO, we do not have a culture
that is compatible with manned space flight. By this I mean that we in the
US are for too unwilling to take the risks and occasional failure necessary.
When one looks back at the 1950's, for example, test pilots regularly died
to try to prove a new concept. We knew it was happening and were willing
to allow knowledgable, brave men to take calculated risks. The same was
true during the Apollo program. The loss of our first space shuttle stalled
our space program for years. The same is true currently. Manned space
flight is dangerous. The monetary price of reducing the risks to levels our
public now is willing to accept places our ability to conduct it beyond what
it is worth.

I am a huge fan of space exploration. I would love to see us continue to
explore and learn. Space exporation is a key to understanding so many of
the big questions that remain unanswered. For this reason, I hope that we
significantly curtail our manned flight activites and put that money towards
unmanned craft. Look at all we're learning from the Mars explorers. As you
noted, Hubble has been and continues to be a magnificent craft. Think about
the quality of space observation tools we could have if we spent a fraction
of the cost of shuttle and space station budgets on unmanned vehicles.

Someday people will become a space-faring race. I don't want to discount
the importance of taking steps in preparation of that day. I just feel that
the it is too far off and that we are not yet prepared to do what it take
sot make real progress in that direction. We are too unwilling to pay the
price in terms of dollars and lives to pursue it today. But by continuing
to try, in half-hearted way, we are postponing our ability to learn what we
will need to know about our universe by sacrificing what is currently our
best methods of discovery.

I am a huge fan of space exploration. I would love to see us continue to
explore and learn. Space exporation is a key to understanding so many of
the big questions that remain unanswered. For this reason, I hope that we
significantly curtail our manned flight activites and put that money towards
unmanned craft.