Officer’s Log: Day Seven Of Alpha Centauri Mission

It is now the end of the first of many weeks of this mission, and I think I have gotten a handle on the sort of rituals that are necessary to stay sane, and that is a healthy dose of consistency as a means of ensuring that you are able to work through what needs to be done, especially in a case where the ship is going most of the routine work. One checks fuel levels, makes sure that sensors are working properly and that the course is still on track. One does a bit of exercise, eats a couple of times a day, and does a fair bit of study as well. Having gone through one Sabbath so far, I can say that it is peaceful to do Bible Study and that I have written some of my thoughts and reflections about the heavens that God has made as I sail through unfamiliar territory. One might think that outer space is all the same, and therefore boring, but there is a peace and calm about space and there are far more objects around than people who have never traveled into deep space would know. Technically, though, we are still not in deep space, but will be in the Kuiper Belt for some time and then in the Oort Cloud for some time more. As a result, it will take some time before there is anything substantial to report, not least because it will be some time before I am exploring new space, beyond the sensor range of what we have seen before.

Officer’s Log: Day 50 Of Alpha Centauri Mission

We have now reached the beginning edge of the Oort Cloud, and the sensors have been going a bit crazy. But some of them work, even if the freezing temperatures of the objects make some of the sensors go wild. And the objects in the Oort Belt are so cold that they can play tricks on the visual readings, and allow for defenses to be constructed that might keep earth forces from moving through this area. This is something that will have to be discussed with the planetary command, as anything that would slow the rush of the earth’s space forces our direction is something to be greatly encouraged. At any rate, this cloud of ice is going to last for a long time, possibly even years, so it will be worthwhile to note only those aspects of this particular route that can provide something different besides icy gloom.

Officer’s Log: Day 185 Of Alpha Centauri Mission

So far the icy gloom has remained and so there is nothing new to report there, but it does appear as if one of the more interesting parts of the coursework that I am studying is the matter of diplomacy when it comes to xenotechnology. One of the expectations that we have had since entering space is that there will be at some point some level of communication with other species whose origins are outside of our own solar system. Yet while some people view this as a religious crisis, I do no see why that is necessary the case. Beings like ourselves would not be the sort of beings whose existence would cause us trouble, because if they are like us enough to rationally view the world and exist within the same general size constraints as we do, that could very well be evidence of a common plan and indeed a common origin. Even if there was life out there which was so far alien that it was difficult to conceive of its origins or how it came to be, such a life form may indeed be easy enough to understand as having a purpose and therefore being the result of a plan. It is even possible that there might be life here in the reaches out outer space, though it is hard to conceive of life forms that would be able to survive without being able to gather nutrients somehow. The thoughts of God are higher than the thoughts of man, though, and it is well worth reflecting upon the limitations of humanity lest we think ourselves far more knowledge about the universe than we are, seeing as we have only seen a small part of one single galaxy and still we fancy ourselves to see the whole picture.

The reason I mention it here is that there are obviously a lot of elements that go into planetary government that ordinary citizens rarely think about. Does one reveal or hide the existence of obvious signs of intelligent life. Much depends on the situation and on the people one is dealing with. Those who can be trusted to view things calmly and reflectively may well be trusted to handle something of obvious importance regarding the state of the universe and its implications for mankind, but there are obvious fears that people may panic when faced with the sign of intelligent life. Let us think about the dinosaurs that I am accompanying now. They are surely intelligent life, though mankind’s intelligence has a great deal to do with the fact that they are alive and well now. And it is unclear that the knowledge of the existence of such creatures would not cause a panic to many people. They are certainly not beings that one needs to panic over, although they are obviously capable of taking care of themselves, and as a result are not the sort of creatures that one would casually take advantage of without paying a huge price. And yet it is pretty easy to see that such creatures would be immensely feared by people because of their ability to defend themselves. If such a fear meant respect, that would be one thing, but people are seldom entirely rational when their fears are in play.

One thing I have noticed of interest over the course of the journey is that it appears that I can feel what is going on in the cargo ships that I am traveling with. For the most part, it appears as if the professor, his limited staff, and the dinosaurs he is traveling with are all ready travelers, although it does not appear as if the dinosaurs can do piloting work, at least from what I can see. I wonder what sort of officers that the dinosaurs can make, though, given their limited ability to use tools, but their obvious ability to sense things very well. That is something that may be worth examining in the future, although it is obviously well above my paygrade what sort of roles that dinosaurs could serve in our government, seeing as they are not wanted either by us or by the government on earth. Hopefully they are able to find a good home where they can live at peace. If they do, it will be a long, long way from here.

Officer’s Log: Day 720 of Alpha Centauri Mission

It appears as if we are finally out of the Oort Cloud, and there is a spell of darkness here, without anything whatsoever. This is as far as we have explored before, and my sensors are already picking up a small but consistent set of particles that do not appear to be from the sun or from Alpha Centauri. This is the evidence that we have seen that has led some people to think that there must be some sort of particles coming from another source, but much remains to be seen yet, as well as the extent of the darkness through which we are now racing.

Officer’s Log: Day 741 of Alpha Centauri Mission

It did not take long before we found ourselves in another cloud that appears to be like the Oort cloud. It is quite possible that we may postulate that it is normal for there to be an icy cloud around stars like the sun and Alpha Centauri, and it appears as if the same sensor readings and strange visuals can be found in this cloud as can be found in the cloud for our own solar system, but we race on anyways, knowing how to deal with this cloud so far as it is a lot like our own. The long-distance travel involved here is going to take some getting used to by the people, though, who will be traveling this way in the future, as it takes a lot of patience to make one’s way through such territory when one’s ability to see what is around is limited and protected only by the heating array around the ship that melts away any of the icy particles that can be found here.

Officer’s Log: Day 1793 Of Alpha Centauri Mission

We have finally gotten through the cloud around Alpha Centauri and are in a belt that is not unlike the Kuiper belt, full of minor planets that it would be possible to live on in the same fashion as we do at present. I am not sure if it will be considered worthwhile to settle in such areas, but there are certainly a few areas to settle should it be thought worthwhile to do so. As we are entering a new solar system that has not yet been documented, the cargo ships and I are slowing down so that we may better navigate through the unknown system and get a sense for the gravity. What differences does a triple star system have compared with the single star-system that we are used to on earth? So far it appears that while Alpha Centauri A and B have a common gravitational center, much like Pluto and Charon, that they each planets that revolve around them along parallel planes, and none of the planets appear to have precisely the sort of atmosphere that we do, at least from initial scans.

Officer’s Log: Day 1815 of Alpha Centauri Mission

We have gotten close enough to see the planets in the habitable zone, so called at least because it mirrors the conditions on our earth as well as the nearer planets like Mars, where there are thriving bases already. It looks as if these planets would be good candidates for settlement and I will report accordingly, as this looks to be something of interest. Nonetheless, while it is possible that a base could be built out of these particular planets, none of them appear to have any sort of life at present and all of the habitable planets appear to be a little bit on the cold side so far. It has come time to consult with the professor as to what he wants to do, as there is the possibility of settlement here, although it would not be ideal for his dinosaurs, and he might wish to try his luck with a further system, although it would likely be a one-way trip if he decides to do so, and that is a serious decision to make. In the meantime, we are scanning to seek the source of what appears to be the exotic particles, as it appears so far that these particles are coming from a point source in a gravitationally stable region between the triple stars in the Alpha Centauri system, which warrants closer investigation, to be sure. We are not going to miss the chance to examine a planet system like this one that offers the chance of understanding why it is that there are some particles of solar wind going through the galaxy that appear not to come from around here, which makes little sense at all, since there appears to be no black hole or white hole in proximity.

After having discussed matters with the professor, we have decided to set a course towards the area where the exotic sensor readings are coming from, as it appears as if this particular planetary system is not ideal nor far enough away from earth for the professor and his dinosaurs to feel safe. They seem to believe as if their home lies elsewhere, although it is hard to see where they are going to find a home that is far enough away to stop people from earth coming there if a five year journey is not enough to deter them. I have deferred to their wishes, however, and so we remain interested in seeing what this particular system has to offer. The clear possibility of human settlement will make people happy back at home, especially as it should ease some of the crowding we face, so long as people are willing and able to make the long journey here to settle the moons and planets of this system. It can be said already that this mission has been a success in helping to find more areas where humankind can settle, whatever the professor thinks about a home for his dinosaurs.