Suppose we could see that there was a thick atmosphere on Mars, plus lots of water and extensive flora and fauna.

Suppose further that our signals to Mars started to come back.

How would we react to neighbours who had developed intelligence at about our level. Would there be war..extensive attempts to reach Mars..attempts to communicate and learn their language?

Suppose perhaps too that the earthw as virtually a twin planet, with a large moon like Titan say, with similar status to the Earth. How far would we now have got in exploring it?

Good for science fiction, perhaps but it could have happened elsewhere in space.

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If they were intelligent, then they would almost certainly be more advanced than us - if in fact they are still around by the time we develop space flight (or if we would have survived this far at all if they were there....).

BTW, I think this thread belongs in ATM.

with regards

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Sign up to sue the Sun

You're probably right.

Sorry..the BA will evict me if he agrees.

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You cannot create a truth by believing in a falsehood.

Why do they have to be more advanced, why not less?

I remember a book called the Handbook for Space Pioneers
where they had a dual planet system, where the indiginous peoples were of the tech level of the medievil period. The only people permited on that world were xenobiologists who had to take all sorts of precautions against being seen.

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War or communication? I suppose it would depend on the exact same factors that determine relations between nations on Earth.

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While the existence of two relatively close life-bearing bodies in one Solar system seems possible, it is highly unlikely that both would develop civilisations and virtually unthinkable that these two civilisations would become space-faring at the same time. Think of it: We have been making tools now for perhaps 50,000 years (one hundred thousandth the lifetime of our planet), been using the wheel for maybe 5000 (one millionth), using combustibles for applications other than heating for 200 years (four hundred millionths) and became able to reach our closest neighbour in space 36 years ago (you do the math), and at ridiculous cost. Two neighbouring intelligent species coexisting in the first place and then hitting this very small sweet spot simultaneously would be one gorgeous hit in the lottery.

But if we accept, for the sake of the argument, that the two civilisations were at least not too far apart technologically... I do not see why the less developed civilisation should fare any better than those civilisations who happened to be "discovered" on Earth. Think of the South American High Cultures that were, what, 3000 years (you do the math) behind Europe in terms of technlogy? Or for that matter, what happened to China in the 19th and early 20th century - a country which wasn't even behind in the general sense, only in some specialised technological areas?

Maybe it is tempting to speculate how the interaction between two such civilisations would have played out, but I for one do not find the thought very pleasant: I wouldn't want to be discovered by anyone, even if they resembled Vulcans or the Federation more than the Klingons. The likelyhood of the "communication" instead of the "war" scenario seems exceedingly small to me.

But I wouldn't allow this thought experiment anyway. I favour the suicide hypothesis - Any civilisation commits suicide before maturing to take over the Galaxy. We have made an unbelievable transformation during those last 50000 years - can you imagine this species going on for, say, another 2 billion? Heck, even Asimovs superannuated "Galactic Empire" at 12000 years was difficult to imagine for a reader (part of the fun, of course).

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I agree with Arneb in a lot of ways, but despite what the maths might say..bear in mind that the Universe is vast and we may think it unlikely that two planets might develop at the same time, whilst being in close proximity to each other, sheer chance in the vastness of the Universe might ensure that it does happen a couple of times.

This might explain too, why there is life on Earth..by sheer billion to one chance...whereas we can't see life anywhere else nearby or get any inkling of where life might be.

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You cannot create a truth by believing in a falsehood.

I recall a good SF novel that had such an "alternate reality". Instead of Mars, a planet (called Minerva perhaps? Don't remember for sure) with a thick atmonsphere and life existed. US and USSR rival exploration teams discover intelligent life with radial symetry. I don't remember the name or author.