Is this for real?

They're speculation. How can anyone predict whether speculation
will pan out?

The stuff that you're quoting looks like a press release or an exexutive
summary for a funding body. You're not likely to find real science in
those places unless they are reporting actual results and not speculated
ones.

John Anderson

Bonnie Granat wrote:

From text by Alan Dressler at http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/about/index.html:

"In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely
complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the
largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility
(SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to
write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual
birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart
the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding
how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and
distributed."

--------------
Seems a bit optimistic to me. Aren't these statements a bit outrageous, or
are they true?

--
___________________________
Bonnie Granat
GRANAT EDITORIAL SERVICES
http://www.editors-writers.info
Fast | Accurate | Affordable

They're speculation. How can anyone predict whether speculation
will pan out?

The stuff that you're quoting looks like a press release or an exexutive
summary for a funding body. You're not likely to find real science in
those places unless they are reporting actual results and not speculated
ones.

John Anderson

Bonnie Granat wrote:

From text by Alan Dressler at http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/about/index.html:

"In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely
complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the
largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility
(SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to
write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual
birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart
the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding
how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and
distributed."

--------------
Seems a bit optimistic to me. Aren't these statements a bit outrageous, or
are they true?

--
___________________________
Bonnie Granat
GRANAT EDITORIAL SERVICES
http://www.editors-writers.info
Fast | Accurate | Affordable

Bonnie Granat:
From text by Alan Dressler at http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/about/index.html:

"In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely
complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the
largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility
(SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to
write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual
birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart
the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding
how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and
distributed."

--------------
Seems a bit optimistic to me. Aren't these statements a bit outrageous,

Yes, especially given the fact that age of the universe still
gets revised every few years and pinning that down to the 13 billion
years quoted with some degree of certainty would be a major accomplish-
ment. However, since the goal of cosmology is precisely that which he
states and no one knows that it won't happen that way, those sorts of
optimistic statements always look good in proposals. Just think how
it would look if he were pessimistic and said something like, "We
want to spend a few billion dollars with little chance of achieving
any of these things".

or are they true?

Probably not. Compare with similar statements about the standard
model. In about 15 years, we went from having the weak, strong and
electromagneic interactions as 3 different interactions, to the
standard model, which describes everything but gravity in a single
theory to the precision of any experiments which have yet been
performed. This led to lots of speculation that the unified theory
einstein sought (and died before unifying anything), the so-called
holy grail of physics, was just on the horizon. Well, 30 years
later, the horizon seems to have receded a bit and the thing that
frustrates most physicists is that the standard model works so
well, they can't find an experiment that exposes a flaw.

Bonnie Granat:
From text by Alan Dressler at http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/about/index.html:

"In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely
complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the
largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility
(SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to
write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual
birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart
the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding
how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and
distributed."

--------------
Seems a bit optimistic to me. Aren't these statements a bit outrageous,

Yes, especially given the fact that age of the universe still
gets revised every few years and pinning that down to the 13 billion
years quoted with some degree of certainty would be a major accomplish-
ment. However, since the goal of cosmology is precisely that which he
states and no one knows that it won't happen that way, those sorts of
optimistic statements always look good in proposals. Just think how
it would look if he were pessimistic and said something like, "We
want to spend a few billion dollars with little chance of achieving
any of these things".

or are they true?

Probably not. Compare with similar statements about the standard
model. In about 15 years, we went from having the weak, strong and
electromagneic interactions as 3 different interactions, to the
standard model, which describes everything but gravity in a single
theory to the precision of any experiments which have yet been
performed. This led to lots of speculation that the unified theory
einstein sought (and died before unifying anything), the so-called
holy grail of physics, was just on the horizon. Well, 30 years
later, the horizon seems to have receded a bit and the thing that
frustrates most physicists is that the standard model works so
well, they can't find an experiment that exposes a flaw.

"Bonnie Granat" wrote in message ...
From text by Alan Dressler at http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/about/index.html:

"In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely
complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the
largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility
(SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to
write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual
birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart
the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding
how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and
distributed."

--------------
Seems a bit optimistic to me. Aren't these statements a bit outrageous, or
are they true?


This kind of arrogance is typical of physicists. It comes from their
extremely religious beliefs and nothing even remotely factual.

http://www.everythingimportant.org/v...hp?p=2052#2052

Eugene Shubert

"Bonnie Granat" wrote in message ...
From text by Alan Dressler at http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/about/index.html:

"In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely
complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the
largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility
(SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to
write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual
birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart
the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding
how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and
distributed."

--------------
Seems a bit optimistic to me. Aren't these statements a bit outrageous, or
are they true?


This kind of arrogance is typical of physicists. It comes from their
extremely religious beliefs and nothing even remotely factual.

http://www.everythingimportant.org/v...hp?p=2052#2052

Eugene Shubert

"Bonnie Granat" wrote in message ...
From text by Alan Dressler at http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/about/index.html:

"In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely
complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the
largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility
(SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to
write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual
birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart
the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding
how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and
distributed."

--------------
Seems a bit optimistic to me. Aren't these statements a bit outrageous, or
are they true?

What mijoon said is exactly right. "The literature of 100 yrs ago was
very similar in tone."

Prominent physicists at that time didn't even think that there was
anything left to discover.

Eugene Shubert
http://www.everythingimportant.org

"Bonnie Granat" wrote in message ...
From text by Alan Dressler at http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov/about/index.html:

"In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely
complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the
largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility
(SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to
write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual
birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart
the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding
how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and
distributed."

--------------
Seems a bit optimistic to me. Aren't these statements a bit outrageous, or
are they true?

What mijoon said is exactly right. "The literature of 100 yrs ago was
very similar in tone."

Prominent physicists at that time didn't even think that there was
anything left to discover.

Eugene Shubert
http://www.everythingimportant.org