Are We Alone in the Universe?

[HUGGY]

Wow Bob, you never told us Astronaut Judith Resnik was your girlfriend. Tell us all about her. That is, if you're not still torn up by her loss.
Tom’s Astronomy Blog » Blog Archive » Challenger Not Forgotten After 25 Years

Robert A.M. Stephens on January 29th, 2011

1. Whomever you are, Steve, thank you, thank you. I was there that morning, watching my GF of one year, Astronaut Dr. Judith Resnik (Judy to the rest of us) and the 6 other great folks and friends, make her 2nd trip to space. I remember. I remember. Thank you!!!!! Always…….
   Go For Throttle Up!!!!……..
   Robert
   Robert A.M. Stephens, LLC
   Scaled Dynamics
   NASA Visual Exploration
   Pan America
   USA
   ————————–
   Have Jeep, Have Heart, Will Travel

Or was that one of your bi-polar moments?

Careful, whomever you are.

Not sure what you are doing or why or your point. Yes, I was dating Dr. Judith Resnik at the time of STS-51L at Kennedy Space Center, FL. I had been working for McDonnell Douglas Astronautics at the time in failure at NASA-KSC.

What are doing and why?

That is the man that did this:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZAntHBk6Gw&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZAntHBk6Gw&feature=related[/ame]

And whom I have invited to be my guest at the last launch of STS, Atlantis.

I posted at his YouTube profile and have posted about him here, called Fanfare For The Shuttle.

http://www.usmessageboard.com/science-and-technology/154943-fanfare-to-the-space-shuttle.html

Careful, whatever your intent is.

Robert

No shortage of assholes on the internet. It really makes me want to get off my butt and start that company I've been thinking about that traces all internet traffic back to it's original physical location just like the FBI does. I would sell info confidentially to the highest bidder.

 

[HUGGY]

Wow Bob, you never told us Astronaut Judith Resnik was your girlfriend. Tell us all about her. That is, if you're not still torn up by her loss.
Tom’s Astronomy Blog » Blog Archive » Challenger Not Forgotten After 25 Years

Robert A.M. Stephens on January 29th, 2011

1. Whomever you are, Steve, thank you, thank you. I was there that morning, watching my GF of one year, Astronaut Dr. Judith Resnik (Judy to the rest of us) and the 6 other great folks and friends, make her 2nd trip to space. I remember. I remember. Thank you!!!!! Always…….
   Go For Throttle Up!!!!……..
   Robert
   Robert A.M. Stephens, LLC
   Scaled Dynamics
   NASA Visual Exploration
   Pan America
   USA
   ————————–
   Have Jeep, Have Heart, Will Travel

Or was that one of your bi-polar moments?

What is your fucking problem Sparky? This guy has been an interesting, helpful and patient gentleman and you come on board with steaming liquid shit like this?
Go Fuck yourself...somewhere else.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

When I was really young..before we moved up to Orcas permanently we also had a house in Lake Forest Park ...a suburb North of Seattle.

There was a NIKE missile base not too far from our home. One day in early summer..I believe it was about 9 AM.., I think I was about 6 years old I was outside on the lawn and heard the sound of a couple of Sabre Jets up in the sky to the East. My eyes caught a glimpse of something unusual a little to the North of vertical. I looked up and did not see the fighters but what I did see was astonishing. It was a disc shaped object ..bright metalic ...a silver color maybe 100-200 feet across at about a thousand feet. It was not making any noise. It was just climbing to the West at about 15 degrees at maybe 100 knots. Then the two F86's came into view coming up from behind the UFO. They were quite impressive making enormous racket and belching black smoke trails. The UFO started picking up speed and within maybe 2 or 3 seconds was now going maybe 60 degrees vertical and rapidly accelerating to well over 1000 knots with the jets trying to chase it down. The damned thing just kept going faster and faster and left the Air Force/Army planes in the dust. The UFO was completely out of sight in a clear blue sky within 10-15 seconds. The F86's tried to follow the UFO but they turned away while they were just specks in the sky and flew off to the East. The whole incident as I witnessed it lasted just under a minute.

The year was 1955. June or July Just North of Lake Washington...near Seattle

True story.

PS... The neighbor lady to our North and her husband the Whiteheads were also outside and saw the same thing. A neighbor lady from across Ballenger Way ran over to Mrs Whitehead and they were hysterical about it. Then they agreed that the military would handle it and there was no more talk about it. Certainly not with a six year old boy.

No.. We are not alone.

Wow, this is akin to the great western UFO outbreak in the night in Dec, 1972. The one and only time I ever saw anything like this--me and a buddy of mine tuned into the KFRC 610, Rock, San Fran, heard all this reporting of UFOs all over the west and western CA. Then, lo, there it was.

It was a cold clear night at about 7000' going down over the pass and it was a full moon and about 10 below zero. It was long narrow, oval shaped and huge and like your event, no noise. We watched it for nearly an hour, as it moved very slowly toward the south west. I never saw anything like that again. We both hit each other make sure we were seeing what we were seeing. The image stuck with me. Wild. I wish I knew more about this sort of thing, but I do not.

The vehicle was huge, about a half mile long and about 400 feet thick. Around its edge was a constant, unblinking soft blue lights like what is seen in ST-TNG Enterprise.

Norad Fence picks up all sorts of things that defy description, but I do not know what to make of it. I do know what I saw, like you did and that craft.

Did you or have you ever seen anything else? I have not for me.

Robert

 

[HUGGY]

When I was really young..before we moved up to Orcas permanently we also had a house in Lake Forest Park ...a suburb North of Seattle.

There was a NIKE missile base not too far from our home. One day in early summer..I believe it was about 9 AM.., I think I was about 6 years old I was outside on the lawn and heard the sound of a couple of Sabre Jets up in the sky to the East. My eyes caught a glimpse of something unusual a little to the North of vertical. I looked up and did not see the fighters but what I did see was astonishing. It was a disc shaped object ..bright metalic ...a silver color maybe 100-200 feet across at about a thousand feet. It was not making any noise. It was just climbing to the West at about 15 degrees at maybe 100 knots. Then the two F86's came into view coming up from behind the UFO. They were quite impressive making enormous racket and belching black smoke trails. The UFO started picking up speed and within maybe 2 or 3 seconds was now going maybe 60 degrees vertical and rapidly accelerating to well over 1000 knots with the jets trying to chase it down. The damned thing just kept going faster and faster and left the Air Force/Army planes in the dust. The UFO was completely out of sight in a clear blue sky within 10-15 seconds. The F86's tried to follow the UFO but they turned away while they were just specks in the sky and flew off to the East. The whole incident as I witnessed it lasted just under a minute.

The year was 1955. June or July Just North of Lake Washington...near Seattle

True story.

PS... The neighbor lady to our North and her husband the Whiteheads were also outside and saw the same thing. A neighbor lady from across Ballenger Way ran over to Mrs Whitehead and they were hysterical about it. Then they agreed that the military would handle it and there was no more talk about it. Certainly not with a six year old boy.

No.. We are not alone.

Wow, this is akin to the great western UFO outbreak in the night in Dec, 1972. The one only time I and a buddy of mine tuned into the KFRC 610, Rock, San Fran, heard all this reporting of UFOS all over the west and western CA. Then, lo, there it was.

It was a cold clear night at about 7000' going down over the pass and it was a full moon and about 10 below zero. It was long narrow, oval shaped and huge and like your event, no noise. We watched it for nearly an hour, as it moved very slowly toward the south west. I never saw anything like that again. We both hit each other make sure we were seeing what we were seeing. The image stuck with me. Wild. I wish I knew more about this sort of thing, but I do not.

Norad Fence picks up all sorts of things that defy description, but I do not know what to make of it. I do know what I sAw, like you did and that craft.

Did you or have you ever seen anything else? I have not for me.

Robert

Nope. The thing I saw could have been bigger than my description because there was nothing to gauge it's size against. I doubt it was anywhere nearly as big as what you saw though. 1/2 mile long is over 2,500 feet. That's pretty fucking huge. It(The UFO I saw) seemed to be much larger than the fighters but they never got that close to it and it was going several times faster than they were by the time they got in the same part of the sky. Mine was certainly less than 500 feet in diameter.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

Ok, this post of yours is totally on topic and so, can I ask, when this was going and you were with the neighbors, and they were watching with you, did you mentally make note what you were seeing and understand it wasn't normal? Did you follow up in the media at all? I ask since that one and only time really stuck with me and and I wished somehow I could have documented it better. I was 20, and that is 38 years ago. We had no good night camera and I was in my new Jeep with my buddy.

What was the neighbors response as well?

Was your impression that this is not something from here on terra firma?

Fascinating.

Robert

 

[Mad Scientist]

Careful, whatever your intent is.

Just want to ask you a few questions RAMS, if I may?
This is your post here at USMB no?

12 years ago I and Phil Platt were frequent guest on his radio show. I caught Hoagy in several lies, Bell cut me off, and that was the end of it. Then, Bell sued me for $60 million dollars. I won. He left the country.
Bad deal but fun. It is why if they are too far off like some here or Tarrel or the like there is no point as they have something ajar mentally. But, this medium lets one be anything one wants to be.

That's so true isn't it? For instance, I'm not really a Scientist! But it's a lot of fun to pretend ain't it?


Years and Mileage Be Damned, Indy is Back - Page 2 - CHUD.com Community Community

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cow Puncher
Are you the same Robert A.M. Stephens (and I can't believe there are a lot of Robert A.M. Stephenses out there) that claimed you had NASA info about aliens or some such thing? And got sued by Art Bell?

No, I am Robert A.M. Stephens, LLC. That was Robert A. Stevens, who was a Lockheed guy and tangled with Bell, got sued, and won, and it was dismissed. He got sued for $60 million if I remember right. But won by fedault or something. Whacky.

I remember since I or my agent got so much mail about that.
Robert A.M. Stephens, LLC
NASA Fine Art Documentation Program-Smithsonian
Particle Motion Dynamic, FX FX
Index of /
__________________________Have Jeep, Have Mac, Have Heart, Will Travel

So RAMS, were you lying then or are you lying now?

I also have the recordings of the actual Art Bell show that you were on. You may want to think up a new story or just come clean about it all.

You know how we all hate it when people just come in here and spread their "steaming liquid shit".

 

[Robert_Stephens]

Nope. The thing I saw could have been bigger than my description because there was nothing to gauge it's size against. I doubt it was anywhere nearly as big as what you saw though. 1/2 mile long is over 2,500 feet. That's pretty fucking huge. It(The UFO I saw) seemed to be much larger than the fighters but they never got that close to it and it was going several times faster than they were by the time they got in the same part of the sky. Mine was certainly less than 500 feet in diameter.

Ok, good data, good additional details. On me and Randy's sighting we could gauge size and kept saying how gigantic huge it was. We could gauge size as the pass was deep and it was below the ridge line across from us. I knew the trees there were Ponderosa Pines at about 200+ feet high there with Red fir, slightly smaller. It was about 1/2 mile distant so it filled up our view. No noise, repeating, but we could feel it. I do not know how to describe this, but we could actually feel its presence--I think due to its mass. Wild.

The Sacramento Bee reported the same craft the next day, apparently what we saw. It reported it was also huge and quiet.

This is so damn vexing to not know. But yes, it did influence me about us not being alone.

Robert

 

[Robert_Stephens]

Careful, whatever your intent is.

Just want to ask you a few questions RAMS, if I may?
This is your post here at USMB no?

12 years ago I and Phil Platt were frequent guest on his radio show. I caught Hoagy in several lies, Bell cut me off, and that was the end of it. Then, Bell sued me for $60 million dollars. I won. He left the country.
Bad deal but fun. It is why if they are too far off like some here or Tarrel or the like there is no point as they have something ajar mentally. But, this medium lets one be anything one wants to be.

That's so true isn't it? For instance, I'm not really a Scientist! But it's a lot of fun to pretend ain't it?


Years and Mileage Be Damned, Indy is Back - Page 2 - CHUD.com Community Community

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cow Puncher
Are you the same Robert A.M. Stephens (and I can't believe there are a lot of Robert A.M. Stephenses out there) that claimed you had NASA info about aliens or some such thing? And got sued by Art Bell?

No, I am Robert A.M. Stephens, LLC. That was Robert A. Stevens, who was a Lockheed guy and tangled with Bell, got sued, and won, and it was dismissed. He got sued for $60 million if I remember right. But won by fedault or something. Whacky.

I remember since I or my agent got so much mail about that.
Robert A.M. Stephens, LLC
NASA Fine Art Documentation Program-Smithsonian
Particle Motion Dynamic, FX FX
Index of /
__________________________Have Jeep, Have Mac, Have Heart, Will Travel

So RAMS, were you lying then or are you lying now?

I also have the recordings of the actual Art Bell show that you were on. You may want to think up a new story or just come clean about it all.

You know how we all hate it when people just come in here and spread their "steaming liquid shit".

I am not sure where you are getting all this or why and why you are trying to do this stuff. Bell tried. It did not fair good for him. I have been on his show 4 times. Also on Rense, Sightings, Earth Changes, all on the same topics of the woo woo crowd, like the Terral, others yourself and so on. Those events were 12 years ago nearly. Not sure your reason or why you are doing this.

Same ol, same ol. One answers but they never respond to one's answers back--same pattern. One of the things that got Bell, among several, was defamation. After a year of battling, he left the US.

I have never been a "Scientist" or claimed such. I have never been civil service for NASA and never claimed such. I am a failure engineer and archaeologist and contract for the space agency. I have never been to art school and am self taught and that is how I got my paintings, by selection in the NASA Art Collection.

I do not lie.

I'll handle this differently with you I think.

Robert

 

[HUGGY]

Ok, this post of yours is totally on topic and so, can I ask, when this was going and you were with the neighbors, and they were watching with you, did you mentally make note what you were seeing and understand it wasn't normal? Did you follow up in the media at all? I ask since that one and only time really stuck with me and and I wished somehow I could have documented it better. I was 20, and that is 38 years ago. We had no good night camera and I was in my new Jeep with my buddy.

What was the neighbors response as well?

Was your impression that this is not something from here on terra firma?

Fascinating.

Robert

I was alone in my front yard. I had just been sent outside to mow the grass which I was not too pleased about because I was small at 6 and the reel mower was next to impossible for me to push. The Whitings were outside also working on their yard. They were an older couple with an only son named Richard that was about twenty. Their yard was elevated higher than ours by maybe 6-8 feet and there was a small hedge bordering their front yard. Their driveway lay just the other side of a rockery that supported it and was the edge of their property and ours. Bottom line I was a witness to them more than they to me. I was standing much lower than they were. They never talked to me..ever. Dick did once in a while. I just remember Mrs. Whiting with her hand up over her brow like she was shading her eyes from the sun except the sun was not directly overhead ...it was behind us slightly as we were all looking somewhat North. She was definitely looking up as was I. The thing was very bright and the sunlight was reflecting off of it. The shape of it was sort of roundish and blunt on the edge and it got thicker towards the center but there was no dome in the center that was noticeable. If it was 200 feet in diameter it was maybe 40 feet thick in the center. There were no lights I could see on it. I could not tell if it was spinning but it did not appear to be. When it accelerated it did not change attitude but kept relatively horizontal to the ground. It did not go straight up.. it did sort of a half a spiral as it climbed. Like a rising 180 degree turn if I could compare it to an airplanes flight.

 

[Rat in the Hat]

Bob,

Usually eternal optimists get on my nerves. Strangely you do not evoke that in me. If not for the outcome of a handful of battles in WWII this world would be an entirely different place. In the entire history of the modern human race how could any outside observer look at us and determine we are a peaceful species.

We are living in an anomaly. Even though there is less wanton carnage during our lifetime than is usually the case in our history the bigger picture of time suggests a far less benign and forgiving judgment.

I am curious how you arrive at the prediction that alien life will be "nice" based on our track record. We are still murdering each other at a pretty good clip. 24,000 in the USA alone last year. Then there are the more organized "will of the people" killings as governments will do in our names.

Is there some formula that aides your speculation? Do you just "want" us to be these kind and benevolent creatures in spite of the evidence and hope as you will for our goodness, transfer that dream as a projection onto extra terrestrial life?

Let's just speculate that aliens have been watching us... what do you think they might believe with more weight?.. Your or my wishful thinking or FBI statistics?

If aliens are atheistic we are fucked. They would look at us and think we are almost all out of our minds.

If they have a god it would most certainly conflict with our gods and present an entirely different problem. You know damn well that these crazy Christians ..possibly you included(I saw your Christian site affiliation) and Muslims would rather die than accept an alien god.

Sean Corey

ever seen the movie "the Abyss"?

I've tried to watch it several times but I have a problem with water creature sci fi.

Has there ever been a sci fi movie made where we do not come out the winner?

That premise alone is ridiculous beyond the pale. Stop and think about it. "They" come a billion light years overcoming all kinds of grief and get stopped in their tracks by us?

Ya...right. I would like to see the report they send back to HQ. "UHHHhh.. ya....those humans...well ...they didn't act like Lucille Ball or the Three Stooges like we saw on their television broadcasts.." HQ: "Say what motherfucker?" Aliens: "UHHHhh...ya they kicked our asses....UHHHhh.....HQ you are breaking up... Alien makes garbled sound into the microphone.....".....

This is a good example. Aliens travel hundreds of light years and we put them in camps, shoot them, and feed them cat food.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

wow, great detail and thank you and hope others read this accounting of your also and comment. Very good. In this do you or did you feel threatened and did it register with you later in life?

(On a different note, I have these messages in my message box here from Mad Scientist but they have a stamp on them that says "moderated" Why is this?)

This report of yours is excellent. So, you do think we are not alone?

Robert

 

[Rat in the Hat]

wow, great detail and thank you and hope others read this accounting of your also and comment. Very good. In this do you or did you feel threatened and did it register with you later in life?

(On a different note, I have these messages in my message box here from Mad Scientist but they have a stamp on them that says "moderated" Why is this?)

This report of yours is excellent. So, you do think we are not alone?

Robert

Good morning, Robert.

The moderated stamp means you have looked at your messages, and you have the choice of leaving them alone, or deleting them if you wish.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

I also have the recordings of the actual Art Bell show that you were on. You may want to think up a new story or just come clean about it all.

You know how we all hate it when people just come in here and spread their "steaming liquid shit".

What about this, honey?:

[CTRL] $60 Mil Lawsuit Filed By Art Bell against David Oates &

How come you didn't use that link too, for the details and such, right from the source, your hero, Art Bell and the Woo Woos? Interesting.

And what about this? ( I love all these cowards in the woo woo crowd)

Spat With Talk Show Host - $60 Million Lawsuit

And all about Art Bell being arrested. I just love this.

Robert

 

[Robert_Stephens]

uh....Its only a movie, only a movie, only a movie.........RE: District 9....

Robert

 

[Mad Scientist]

uh....Its only a movie, only a movie, only a movie.........RE: District 9....Robert

Speaking of "woo-woos" check out this guy:
Alien Abduction Experience and Research (AAER) at www.abduct.com

Gersten: Just a few questions if you don't mind. You stated in a prior e-mail that 'over 40 years there has been documented over 1.3 million implants worldwide of unknown construct.' From where is this information obtained?
Stephens: This information was obtained by medical, science, universities, military, other academia, world wide--all nations, over 40 years or longer, since the first non-Earth implant was discovered in a patient's forearm, a young woman, 17, in Chunking, China in July of 1937.

Apparently, some "woo-woo" thinks aliens are giving select human beings "implants", and I'm not talking the boobie kind!

And looks like the aliens are flying around in a large triangular spacecraft? The plot thickens!

Gersten: You state that 'on 12-4-1998, Fence picked up a 'Gray' (unknown intruder) over the Shander Sugar plantation in western Cuba for 1 hour, witnessed by dozens, and then the intruder fled.' What was the craft?
Stephens: A large triangular craft, silver-dark gray in color, no markings, approximately 200 meters on a side, shaped as a true equilateral triangle, silent in operation, stationary in repose, and of unknown origin. Intruder Fence number #119,266. 12-4-1998, sighted and logged @ 1721 hours EST.

Robert A.M. Stephens, Contractor
NASA Shuttle Documentation Program
KSC-PA/PIB-codeMSF/shuttle

OMG, Bob this is you? More laughs at link!

 

[HUGGY]

wow, great detail and thank you and hope others read this accounting of your also and comment. Very good. In this do you or did you feel threatened and did it register with you later in life?

(On a different note, I have these messages in my message box here from Mad Scientist but they have a stamp on them that says "moderated" Why is this?)

This report of yours is excellent. So, you do think we are not alone?

Robert

UHHHhmmm.. I'm not sure what I am reading there Bob in the next to the last reply but it is against the rules to display the contents of a PM on the regular board. If that is what this is delete it ASAP. It's a ban-able offense...unless you get express permission from the other party.

Sean

No...I did not feel threatened exactly. I was more in awe of what I was watching than frightened. I felt that the object was not from here but it seemed reassuring that the fighters chased it off. Pretty naive ...even for a kid.

Well ...I don't know about every day since then but THAT day...we were not alone.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

wow, great detail and thank you and hope others read this accounting of your also and comment. Very good. In this do you or did you feel threatened and did it register with you later in life?

(On a different note, I have these messages in my message box here from Mad Scientist but they have a stamp on them that says "moderated" Why is this?)

This report of yours is excellent. So, you do think we are not alone?

Robert

Good morning, Robert.

The moderated stamp means you have looked at your messages, and you have the choice of leaving them alone, or deleting them if you wish.

Thank you. Still learning all the tools here and my way around. Love it. Great interaction with so many. Only a few woo woos. I think the conservative nature of this place with some reason helps.

Thank you.

Robert

 

[Robert_Stephens]

wow, great detail and thank you and hope others read this accounting of your also and comment. Very good. In this do you or did you feel threatened and did it register with you later in life?

(On a different note, I have these messages in my message box here from Mad Scientist but they have a stamp on them that says "moderated" Why is this?)

This report of yours is excellent. So, you do think we are not alone?

Robert

UHHHhmmm.. I'm not sure what I am reading there Bob in the next to the last reply but it is against the rules to display the contents of a PM on the regular board. If that is what this is delete it ASAP. It's a ban-able offense...unless you get express permission from the other party.

Sean

No...I did not feel threatened exactly. I was more in awe of what I was watching than frightened. I felt that the object was not from here but it seemed reassuring that the fighters chased it off. Pretty naive ...even for a kid.

Well ...I don't know about every day since then but THAT day...we were not alone.

Wow, what a report. I am impressed and you remembered so well. So many do not. About the messages. The mods have been helping on matters which is most kind. Understand better now.

On topic, I am working late and have been the last few nights on doing this digital image of The Great Attractor and its vexing but good. The images from out there from HST are incredible.

The idea of we are not alone is sure vexing in all this.

Robert

 

[HUGGY]

wow, great detail and thank you and hope others read this accounting of your also and comment. Very good. In this do you or did you feel threatened and did it register with you later in life?

(On a different note, I have these messages in my message box here from Mad Scientist but they have a stamp on them that says "moderated" Why is this?)

This report of yours is excellent. So, you do think we are not alone?

Robert

UHHHhmmm.. I'm not sure what I am reading there Bob in the next to the last reply but it is against the rules to display the contents of a PM on the regular board. If that is what this is delete it ASAP. It's a ban-able offense...unless you get express permission from the other party.

Sean

No...I did not feel threatened exactly. I was more in awe of what I was watching than frightened. I felt that the object was not from here but it seemed reassuring that the fighters chased it off. Pretty naive ...even for a kid.

Well ...I don't know about every day since then but THAT day...we were not alone.

Wow, what a report. I am impressed and you remembered so well. So many do not. About the messages. The mods have been helping on matters which is most kind. Understand better now.

On topic, I am working late and have been the last few nights on doing this digital image of The Great Attractor and its vexing but good. The images from out there from HST are incredible.

The idea of we are not alone is sure vexing in all this.

Robert

Which reminds me to take some glass cleaner down to my El Dorado this morning. The Pitt Bull has left a similar set of nose prints on the windshield and the passenger window.

Sean

 

[American Horse]

<SNIP>

[1] The spinning of our earth on its axis is stabilized by our very large moon; a moon that is of a size to create such stability is indeed rare. Our own resulted from a collision with a Mars sized planet. If our earth&#8217;s spinning was not regulated, then its axial tilt could change enough over time to make climate inhospitable to higher forms of living creatures.

[2] How much of the Earth's protective magnetic field is a result of that same large moon, and that magnetic field limits/nullifies a number of life withering effects like solar radiation, x-rays, cosmic rays, and others inhospitable to life being able to develop to the level of intelligence and civilization?
[3] And how about the plate tectonics comes from tidal effect of the same moon that makes such great surface relief common, without which so much of the surface would be below sea level?

[4] How about the relative sparseness of our own stellar neighborhood; doesn&#8217;t that factor make persistent bombardment from space by objects capable of destroying life in its nascent form long before intelligence evolves much less a factor than in more dense regions?

[5] And how about double stars (or triple stars), which are by far the most common situation; how does that impinge on the development of life and stable environments; vis-à-vis small planets with large moons or earth sized planets with stable orbits?
<SNIP>

Although I wish it were not the case, because of these known&#8217;s, and many unknowns, I suspect that civilizations capable of space travel are very rare compared to the number of stars at first blink which seem just right for basic life to just get started. To me, this means, some relatively low number of civilizations may have developed and their coming across each other, or conveniently communicating with each other will be a while in happening.

Actually, all your points are valid in the what if category. This is sound. It is also factored in when using the Drake Formula. Frank Drake was right on and in his simple formula (I use it constantly), it does define easily the what ifs and what may be. Suffice to say, then, it is being quickly learned that Class G worlds are common and the Goldilocks Zone is a common denominator. This then infers that Drake is probably correct, and there are about 10,000 inhabitant systems like Earth and our solar system in the Milky Way Galaxy, our home.

Where they are and what they are is the question, of course.

Too, finally, with your suppositions, out of 120,000,000,000&#8805; stars in our galaxy, and only 10,000 with developed life, that is a tiny tiny percentage. or, &#8730;/.00012%. Not much.....but its more than one.....
Good input. Thank you.

Robert

Thank you, but I can't completely go along with your answer. I don't mean to quibble but the data applied to the &#8220;Drake Formula&#8221; is arbitrary. When I enter my own calculations into Drake, mine look like this:

* = the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy: 100 billion
(accounting for [5] above, this is a reasonable ball-park number)

FP = fraction of stars with planets around them: 50%
(depending on the odds of existing VS. not existing about half seems a reasonable number; expressing a fifty-fifty chance)

NE = number of planets per star ecologically able to sustain life: 0.5%
(sustaining life is the rub; even in our relatively safe region of space, the continuity of life [4] once started has been fraught with risk and could be terminated unexpectedly at any time)

F1 = fraction of those planets where life actually evolves: 70%
(assuming with enough time life beginning is inevitable and ubiquitous a high factor seems reasonable)

FI = the fraction of F1 that evolves intelligent life: 0.5% (If by intelligent we mean intelligence which survives long enough, enduring all the vicissitudes of severe climate change (a given) from all the many ways that can come about then 1/10th of fifty-fifty seems to be reasonable) Without a large moon to stabilize axis tilt [1][2] climate will be chaotic. A satellite of comparable size seems to be the most delimiting factor of all)

FC = the fraction of FI that communicates: 5%
(suggests a clear view of the heavens and an intention to communicate to hypothetical creatures beyond their own solar system in spite of the economic costs and political impingements) conditions on the planet can inhibit any interest in worlds beyond their own; [3] above. Life developing under-water - or under a thick atmosphere - regardless of a high intelligence, will lack incentive to communicate with creatures beyond their own world since they will lack awareness.)

FL = the fraction of the planet's life during which the communicating civilizations survives: 1/1,000,000th (10,000 years) (default number seems reasonable)

N = the number of communicating civilizations in the galaxy = 44 (43.75) civilizations

With such a small number of communicative civilizations existing and overlapping at any moment in time, we well might never find each other short of some faster than light travel. So in your final comment in bold, we definitely agree.

/SS/ American Horse - A.A. (Amateur Astronomer/60 years and counting)