New Paper Says Aliens Might Slingshot Themselves Off Super-Earths
Ok, so last month, scientists posited the idea that maybe we haven’t met any aliens yet, because they live on a “Super-Earth” sized planet, and gravity there is so strong that it’s prevented them from having a successful space program. But now, a new paper has provided a solution to that problem: a slingshot.
Astrophysicist Michael Hippke, made the astute observation that it would be pretty difficult to launch a rocket from a Super-Earth sized planet, due to its high surface gravity and the extreme amount of power needed to achieve escape velocity.
This came in light of the recent discovery that Super-Earths, or rocky planets around 10 times the size of Earth, are the most common planets in solar systems we’ve observed so far. In fact, scientists believe they’ve just recently discovered one in our own solar system.
These planets would also have thicker atmospheres, shielding the surface from dangerous cosmic radiation and solar activity, creating even more favorable conditions for life to flourish. In short, there’s a really good chance life exists on those planets, and we’ve pinpointed about 1,000 of them.
That’s why scientists want to study them, but if there’s an indirect observation that could rule them out, why waste time? That was the point of Hippke’s observation and it provided a relatively new answer to the Fermi Paradox; if the universe is so vast, why haven’t we made contact with or observed extraterrestrial life?
But now in a riposte to Hippke, a new paper has argued that one way of overcoming such intense gravity would be a slingshot assist to traditional rocket propulsion, otherwise referred to as a tether-assisted space launch system. With a Super-Earth planet, it would require more than double the escape velocity and about 104 times the amount of fuel required to leave Earth. But not if you only need to get half way there…
This hypothetical tether would be attached to what’s described as a “skyhook” rotating with the planet’s orbital velocity. At some point the tether attached to the hook would pause momentarily at a lower altitude, allowing a launched rocket to dock with it, before being flung into orbit. This would save a significant amount of fuel and allow the rocket to use the planet’s gravity as an assist.
This idea seems to piggyback off the concept of a space elevator, although the paper acknowledges that a Super-Earth’s gravity would pull too hard on a space elevators cables to make the idea feasible. The material needed to build a tether that strong has yet to become a reality here on Earth, but scientists working with carbon nanotubes think they may have something soon.
If these hypothetical arguments just sound like sci-fi conjecture, it’s because they are, at least for now. But they could form the basis for future innovations in rocket propulsion, interplanetary space flight, and hopefully, discovering alien life.
Alex R. Howe, the author of this recent paper seems to hint that the concept of a tether-assist could be implemented with modern technology and would be especially useful for interplanetary travel, where fuel weight is such a tricky variable. Will Elon Musk take note?
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Did President Eisenhower Meet With Aliens at Holloman Air Force Base?
In 1953, President Harry Truman gave up the oval office and passed the reins of power to his successor, President Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike). It appears that Truman also gave Ike a pretty hefty file concerning a top-secret project called Majestic 12 that Truman established by Classified Executive Order. Majestic 12 consisted of a group of scientists, military personnel and other governmental professionals who all worked together to understand and communicate with UFOs and extraterrestrials (ETs).
President Eisenhower was extremely interested in UFOs and ETs: there is evidence that he met with ETs secretly, at least three times.
Once at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California and twice at Holloman AFB in New Mexico. Since the Eisenhower meetings, other instances of UFOs landing at or near Holloman AFB have been reported.
1954 Eisenhower ET Meeting at Edwards AFB
President Eisenhower, who had been a five-star Army general, always had a “strong belief in life on other planets.” In February 1954, he was spending several days in Palm Springs on vacation. He disappeared for several hours one Saturday afternoon and even missed a scheduled public dinner. He was not seen again until late the following morning.
The press questioned Ike’s whereabouts, so the White House Press Secretary told them that Ike had chipped a tooth and gone to see a dentist. Even at that time, rumors were that he was visiting ETs at nearby Edwards AFB. The dentist’s story falls apart upon close inspection. Washington Post Staff Writer, Peter Carlson, denies the story of the chipped tooth and calls it a cover-up.
There Was No Dentist Visit
The Eisenhower Presidential Library has detailed reports of all Eisenhower’s medical and dental records. There is no reference to a broken or chipped tooth or dentist visit related to the Palm Springs visit. The Library also has copies of acknowledgments that were sent to everyone Eisenhower had contact with while in Palm Springs. There were records of people who met the airplane, people who sent flowers, the minister who gave the sermon at the Sunday service he attended, and others who played minor roles. But there is no proof of a note sent to a dentist. Years later, the dentist’s widow said she had no recollection of ever being told by her husband that he had done dental work on the President.
Corroborating Evidence of the ET Visit
William Cooper, who was on the Naval Intelligence briefing team and had access to classified documents, is a credible witness. His Review Of Those Documents revealed that ETs had had contact with Earth. They had warned that the Earth was “on a path of self-destruction” and they wanted to meet to help effectuate a long-lasting peace.
Meeting With Eisenhower
The first meeting with the aliens and President Eisenhower occurred at Edwards AFB in February 1954. Navy Commander Charles L. Suggs reported that his father had attended the meeting between Ike and the ETS. Eisenhower met with two Nordic appearings, blue-eyed ETs. A third one stood near the door as a lookout.
The discussions were polite. Eisenhower wanted to effectuate a treaty with the aliens but was unwilling to agree to their demand that we cease testing nuclear weapons. The aliens left with no treaty in place but returned the next year to Holloman AFB in New Mexico, not too far from the famous Roswell alien aircraft crash site, for a subsequent meeting with Eisenhower.
Gerald Light’s Letter
There is a corroborating story to the ET meeting with Ike at Edwards AFB. The accuracy of the story is difficult to confirm. A man named Gerald Light wrote a letter in April 1954 claiming to have been an eyewitness to the Edwards AFB meeting between Eisenhower and ETs. Light provided details such as watching Air Force officials studying five aircraft with the permission of their alien owners!
Some question the credibility of Light’s report since he was known to have a love of the occult and claimed to be clairvoyant, but others like Meade Layne, the former director of Borderland Sciences Research Foundation, confirms and believes Light did know first-hand what occurred.
