[[Science fiction]] author Larry Niven once speculated on an "earlier generation" race of [[extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrial beings]] that controlled the [[galaxy]] until it suffered mutual annihilation in a war with a revolting slave race. As part of that scenario, a member of that "slaver race" once had to make an emergency "landing" in a crippled spacecraft that could no longer brake to a safe approach speed. He then set a course for the [[earth]], bailed out of his ship, and left the ship's autopilot with orders to crash-land on Neptune. Instead of that happening, the ship struck a moon of Neptune hard enough to knock it out of orbit; that moon became known as Pluto. | [[Science fiction]] author Larry Niven once speculated on an "earlier generation" race of [[extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrial beings]] that controlled the [[galaxy]] until it suffered mutual annihilation in a war with a revolting slave race. As part of that scenario, a member of that "slaver race" once had to make an emergency "landing" in a crippled spacecraft that could no longer brake to a safe approach speed. He then set a course for the [[earth]], bailed out of his ship, and left the ship's autopilot with orders to crash-land on Neptune. Instead of that happening, the ship struck a moon of Neptune hard enough to knock it out of orbit; that moon became known as Pluto. |