Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Colonization and Panspermia

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
How Likely is Extraterrestrial Life?

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Astronomy ((BRIEFSASTRON))

Abstract

UFO reports cannot be regarded as establishing that extraterrestrials have visited the earth. On the other hand, if other biospheres exist in the galaxy, it is conceivable that life forms might migrate from one star to another even though the distances between stars are more immense than is realized by most people.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. M. Hart, Quarterly J. Astonomical Soc. 16, 128 (1975) reprinted in Extraterrestrials, Where are They? ed. by B. Zuckerman, M. Hart, 2nd edn. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995), p. 1–8

    Google Scholar 

  2. http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/fastfacts.html

  3. e.g. C. Singer, Extraterrestrials, Where are They? ed. by B. Zuckerman, M. Hart, 2nd edn. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995), pp. 70–85

    Google Scholar 

  4. For recent work by NASA to develop faster means of space transportation see for example American Institute of Physics conference proceedings, p. 813 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  5. http://www.heavens-above.com/solar-escape.asp

  6. E. Jones, Icarus 46, 328 (1981) and in Extraterrestrials, Where are They?

    Google Scholar 

  7. I. Newman W, C. Sagan, Icarus 46, 293 (1981)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. P.-G. DeGennes, Scaling Concepts in Polymer Physics, (cornell University Pres, Ithaca, 1979), pp. 39–42. I am using the approximate expression \(R=l(t/\tau_{hop})^{3/5}\) which follows from equation (I.23) here

    Google Scholar 

  9. D. Bertacchi, F. Zucca, J. Appl. Prob. 46, 463 (2009). This paper is quite technically mathematical but contains a clear definition at the beginning

    Google Scholar 

  10. M.J. Fogg, Terraforming: Engineering Planetary Envionments, Societ of Automotive Engineers. (Warrendale, MI, 1995); C.P. McCay, Sci. Am. Presents 10, pp. 50–52 (1999); J. M. Graham AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 654, p. 1284 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  11. This argument is not original but I have been unable to trace where I found the form of it given here. See J.R. Gott III, Nature 363, p. 315 (1993); J. Leslie, Mind 1992 (101), 543 (1992) and references therein

    Google Scholar 

  12. N. Bostrom, J. Evol. Technol. 9, March (2002). This article does not estimate probabilities per unit time

    Google Scholar 

  13. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/

  14. Images courtesy of Lance Benner, JPL-NASA

    Google Scholar 

  15. S. Arrenhius, Worlds in the Making (Harper and Row, NY, 1908)

    Google Scholar 

  16. F.H.C. Crick, L.E. Orgel, Icarus 19, 341 (1973)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. H.P. McSween Jr, Meteoritics 29, 757 (1994)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. D.D. Bogard, P. Johnson, Science 221, 651 (1983)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. R.H. Becker, R.O. Pepin, Earth Plan. Sci. Lett. 69, 225 (1983); K. Marti et al., Science 267, 1981 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  20. D.S. McKay, E.K. Gibson Jr., K.L. Thomas-Keptra, H. Val, C.S. Romanek, S. J. Clemett, X.D.F. Chilier, C. R. Maaching, R.N. Zare, Science 273, 924 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. B.L. Kirkland, F.L. Lynch, M.A. Rahnis, R.L. Folk, I.J. Molineux, R.J.C. McLean, Geology 27, 347 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. See lecture by David McKay, http://www.youtube.com/watch? \(\hbox{v}=\lower.5ex\hbox{-}\hbox{x}60\hbox{v}3\hbox{E}-\hbox{yZ}8\)

  23. F.A. Rainey, K. Ray, M. Ferreira, B.Z. Gatz, M.F. Nobre, D. Bagaley, B.A. Rash, M.J. Park, A.M. Earl, N.C. Shank, A.M. Small, M.C. Henk, J.R. Battista, P. Kampfer, M.S. da Costa, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71, 5225 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. R.J.M. Fry, J.T. Lett, Nature 335, pp. 335–365 (1988)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Church St SE 116, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    J. Woods Halley

Authors
  1. J. Woods Halley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Woods Halley .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Halley, J.W. (2012). Colonization and Panspermia. In: How Likely is Extraterrestrial Life?. SpringerBriefs in Astronomy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22754-7_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22754-7_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-22753-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-22754-7

  • eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation