
Project Blue aims to snap the first picture of an exoplanet in Alpha Centauri - CapitalistCartr
https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/10/project-blue-aims-to-snap-the-first-picture-of-an-exoplanet-in-alpha-centauri/
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patall
What I am missing from the discussion and have not seen addressed on their
website is whether this project actually makes sense. I thought that
simulations have shown that there are no stable orbits around AlphaCentauri
(A&B) [at least in the habitable zone] so what do they think they will find? I
mean if we are pretty much sure that it does not exist what they want to find,
why do they keep claiming that that is what they will find? There is a reason
NASA stopped projects in this direction.

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devindotcom
Project Blue rep says:

Simulations suggest that orbits beyond 2.5 A.U. are unstable, but all the
habitable zone orbits are stable:

For example, see:
[https://arxiv.org/abs/1604.04917](https://arxiv.org/abs/1604.04917)

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benoueu
Even just getting their spectra should be enough to detect life, according
Lovelock's theory that planets having life have out-of-equilibrium atmospheric
gas profiles.

For example, we should expect that Mars is barren of life, or at least has
such tenuous life as to be very hard to detect from Mars' atmosphere.

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ramgorur
I do not think so. the spectra from the europa's vapour plumes does not show
such signature. But still experts think there might be some bio-chemical
reactions going on in the europa's sub-surface ocean.

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jessriedel
This related NASA idea may interests folks in this thread:

> The New Worlds Mission is a proposed project comprising a large occulter in
> space designed to block the light of nearby stars in order to observe their
> orbiting exoplanets. The observations could be taken with an existing space
> telescope, possibly the James Webb Space Telescope when it launches, or a
> dedicated visible light optical telescope optimally designed for the task of
> finding exoplanets. A preliminary research project was funded from 2005[1]
> through 2008 by NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) and headed by
> Webster Cash of the University of Colorado at Boulder in conjunction with
> Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Northrop Grumman, Southwest Research
> Institute and others. Since 2010 the project has been looking for additional
> financing from NASA and other sources in the amount of roughly US$3 billion
> including its own four-meter telescope,[2] or $750 million for one starshade
> to be used with the James Webb Space Telescope.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Worlds_Mission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Worlds_Mission)

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Roboprog
Somehow, this sound more interesting than sending Buzz Lightyear to Mars.

OK, a Mars mission would be pretty cool, but this would be some serious
science. Can you image any planets in the system of the 3 closest stars? What
are their spectra? Can we confirm any inferred orbital periods with direct
observation?

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imaginenore
You don't think a mission to Mars is "serious science"?

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Roboprog
It is, you're right. But finding out _something_ about the chemical makeup of
an extrasolar planet seems much more interesting to me, especially if we find
a "goldilocks zone" planet, regardless of whether or not there is evidence of
(oxygen generating) life.

