keithiepoo
New member
- Oct 13, 2025
- 6
- 3
Giving this one more try. Trying to develop a story line or script for a ~10min astronomical documentary. It’s about a solar system discovered in 2017.
These are my tentative and undeveloped "scripts", a term I’m using a bit loosely here. They are rough, first drafts, and frankly, sound corny and not unlike something written by a child. But, these are things I wrote down very quickly into a notebook, in very wee hours of the day and with no editing or refinement (there are three of these, plus some notes on what makes this system interesting).
I know stories are supposed to have 3 segments or something... you establish a problem, yes? Well, the only "challenge" I can think of is, "Could any of these planets support life?" Anyway, here goes nuth’n... And, try not to chuckle at my crude writing here.
TRAPPIST-1: The Small Solar System That Could Harbor Life
Seven earthlike worlds. Intriguing possibilities make their ways through imaginative and hopeful minds. There are three planets in this system that could support liquid water, an essential element for life (as we know it). Telescopic technology has advanced considerably over the past century, but nothing will tell us more than a visit.
It is the year 2075. Enter humanity’s latest technological feat: The Perseus — a vessel capable of traveling unimaginable distances in mere moments. The Perseus’ engine will literally bend space, causing it to traverse dozens of light years in its maiden voyage. The men and women onboard are nervous, but that apprehension is mixed with an exciting sense of anticipation.
Robot vessels have traveled to much closer stars. The Magellan, the first interstellar probe launched by humans reached Alpha Centauri almost 15 years ago. But, the Perseus will carry people for the first time.
And, their mission? Look for alien life, or determine if any of the TRAPPIST worlds can support life. But, they will gather as much information as possible about all seven worlds as long as they're in the system. The ship also has a small shuttle that can be used as both a life raft, as well as a landing vehicle. Perhaps the crew will take a first hand look at an alien sky…
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
Since the mid-1990s, when the first extra solar planet was discovered, astronomers have studied and catalogued thousands of worlds outside our own solar system.
The most intriguing of these are the seven worlds of TRAPPIST-1, a red dwarf star in the constellation of Aquarius. It lies about 40 ly away, and it is just a little larger than our own Jupiter. Red dwarfs burn too dimly to be seen by the naked eye, but this one is the parent start to at least seven rocky worlds, all of which are just a little larger or smaller than our own earth.
Three of these roughly earth-sized planets are within their system’s “habitable zone” — the distance from their star that permits water to exist in liquid form. Liquid water is essential for life (as we know it).
** We begin moving into space, moving so fast that we pass by nearby stars. We start slowing as we approach a dim reddish orb. **
The whole system is no larger than the orbit of Mercury, our solar system’s innermost planet. The TRAPPIST-1 system is so small that if you're standing on one of these planets, you can see the other worlds in the sky.
Will start with the outmost planet.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
For a long time, astronomers have believed that the stars harbored planets. In 1992, the first planet orbiting another star was discovered.
Since that time, thousands more worlds have been discovered, cataloged, and studied. Many are gas giants, much like our Jupiter. Some are "brown dwarfs". But, a number of rock worlds have been revealed as well.
One system is particularly intriguing: TRAPPIST-1. This red dwarf star, only 30,000 km wider than Jupiter, is the parent star to at least seven known planets. These planets are close in size to the earth, and are known to be rocky worlds, also like the earth. Three of these planets lie in this system’s so-called habitable zone — the distance from their parents star that permits water to be in a liquid state.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Notes...
These are my tentative and undeveloped "scripts", a term I’m using a bit loosely here. They are rough, first drafts, and frankly, sound corny and not unlike something written by a child. But, these are things I wrote down very quickly into a notebook, in very wee hours of the day and with no editing or refinement (there are three of these, plus some notes on what makes this system interesting).
I know stories are supposed to have 3 segments or something... you establish a problem, yes? Well, the only "challenge" I can think of is, "Could any of these planets support life?" Anyway, here goes nuth’n... And, try not to chuckle at my crude writing here.
TRAPPIST-1: The Small Solar System That Could Harbor Life
Seven earthlike worlds. Intriguing possibilities make their ways through imaginative and hopeful minds. There are three planets in this system that could support liquid water, an essential element for life (as we know it). Telescopic technology has advanced considerably over the past century, but nothing will tell us more than a visit.
It is the year 2075. Enter humanity’s latest technological feat: The Perseus — a vessel capable of traveling unimaginable distances in mere moments. The Perseus’ engine will literally bend space, causing it to traverse dozens of light years in its maiden voyage. The men and women onboard are nervous, but that apprehension is mixed with an exciting sense of anticipation.
Robot vessels have traveled to much closer stars. The Magellan, the first interstellar probe launched by humans reached Alpha Centauri almost 15 years ago. But, the Perseus will carry people for the first time.
And, their mission? Look for alien life, or determine if any of the TRAPPIST worlds can support life. But, they will gather as much information as possible about all seven worlds as long as they're in the system. The ship also has a small shuttle that can be used as both a life raft, as well as a landing vehicle. Perhaps the crew will take a first hand look at an alien sky…
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
Since the mid-1990s, when the first extra solar planet was discovered, astronomers have studied and catalogued thousands of worlds outside our own solar system.
The most intriguing of these are the seven worlds of TRAPPIST-1, a red dwarf star in the constellation of Aquarius. It lies about 40 ly away, and it is just a little larger than our own Jupiter. Red dwarfs burn too dimly to be seen by the naked eye, but this one is the parent start to at least seven rocky worlds, all of which are just a little larger or smaller than our own earth.
Three of these roughly earth-sized planets are within their system’s “habitable zone” — the distance from their star that permits water to exist in liquid form. Liquid water is essential for life (as we know it).
** We begin moving into space, moving so fast that we pass by nearby stars. We start slowing as we approach a dim reddish orb. **
The whole system is no larger than the orbit of Mercury, our solar system’s innermost planet. The TRAPPIST-1 system is so small that if you're standing on one of these planets, you can see the other worlds in the sky.
Will start with the outmost planet.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
For a long time, astronomers have believed that the stars harbored planets. In 1992, the first planet orbiting another star was discovered.
Since that time, thousands more worlds have been discovered, cataloged, and studied. Many are gas giants, much like our Jupiter. Some are "brown dwarfs". But, a number of rock worlds have been revealed as well.
One system is particularly intriguing: TRAPPIST-1. This red dwarf star, only 30,000 km wider than Jupiter, is the parent star to at least seven known planets. These planets are close in size to the earth, and are known to be rocky worlds, also like the earth. Three of these planets lie in this system’s so-called habitable zone — the distance from their parents star that permits water to be in a liquid state.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Notes...
- Three rocky worlds in system’s habitable zone
- Planets so close they can be seen in each other's skies.
- Red dwarf star projected to last approximately 1 trillion years.
- Planets believed to have no moons because of the close orbits.
- System is small. Most of it would fit inside of our sun. The outermost planet would be only about 5,500,000 miles from the sun, well within Mercury's orbit.
- If one of the Earth sized worlds in this system can hold an atmosphere with a red dwarf sun (red dwarfs tend to emit lots of particles that erode atmospheres), this increases the chances of finding similar planets.
