This is a Starship

3000 years ago Odysseus sailed, and now a new Ulysses is on his way.

Starships have been visualized in cartoons (what a great medium in which to save money) and on television and in movies. Star Trek presents interstellar travel as routine, but barring some miracle discovery, it seems a loooooong shot.

But not totally out of the realm of possibility. The ion drive this ship has allows it to travel near the speed of light- and on to the stars.

Its a beautiful problem: if there are so many planets out there (over 400 counted now in 2010) could fellow travelers in our universe be living on some of them? If yes, can we visit them or they us?

Is Hawking right that they might be hostile? Or is Rees right in thinking with the technology required to make the visit, they'd have evolved past that?

If earthlings venture out here one day, and actually ever find a planet to settle around another star (like Alpha Centauri), others would follow and visit. The pattern repeats. And when people go out to meet those "aliens" at Alpha Centauri, they would find the aliens won't be so alien at after all...