• Question: If a train is moving at 216mph and a car was moving at 12mph north how many aliens are there on Jupiter ?

    Asked by ihatecheese to Claire, Kate, Matt, Rob, Sam on 20 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Robert Woolfson

      Robert Woolfson answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Brilliant question. The answer is simple though. None – Jupiter is a gas giant and has strong enough gravity to squash anything living (we know of) flatter than the flattest pancake you can think of.

    • Photo: Claire Lee

      Claire Lee answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Forever alone Jupiter 🙁

    • Photo: Sam Geen

      Sam Geen answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Depends! Bear in mind that cheese is amazing and your username does nothing to endear you to me. But here goes.

      Let’s say the train is moving at 216 mph between Birmingham New Street and Euston station. Various science fiction authors have suggested that aliens could exist in gas giants, like big floating balloons. Obviously we haven’t seen any, but then Jupiter’s atmosphere is really thick so who knows what’s going on down there. The car is moving north, say along the M1 towards Newcastle. Another option is Jupiter’s moons. You’re still wrong about cheese, by the way. Europa, for example, is covered in oceans surrounded by a crust of ice. A European mission, JUpiter ICy Moon Explorer (JUICE), is planned to visit Jupiter’s moons to find out whether it could support life. Why would you call your mission JUICE? Imagine if it discovered life. “Yes, life was discovered by juice.” Well done humanity.

      In conclusion: Maybe gas giant life could exist. But Jupiter’s moons are a better bet for finding life, particularly Europa. The train is delayed because of signal failures and the car is stuck in endless traffic jams. You’re still wrong about cheese.

      Hope this helped!

    • Photo: Matthew Pankhurst

      Matthew Pankhurst answered on 21 Jun 2013:

      7, and they are all called Mary.

Comments