On the same note, the IAU just re-defined planet. May we have to re-define life as well. I can understand the concept of life, but the actual definition escapes me right now. If we find plant life on another planet, it doesn’t prove or disprove that there are other sentient beings out there. I’ve also always wondered why we sent language samples and a map on the probes that were headed out of the solar system. We can’t agree on a language (or even an alphabet) on a single planet. What are the odds that another species (even if they are intelligent) will be able to understand our language, or us them.
The laws of physics as we understand them say that C is the speed limit, so at a minimum it would take 8 years return trip to the nearest star (which, by the way, could harbour planets and is VERY similar to our own sun). The next nearest target star is about 11 light years away, 22 years round trip minimum. Oh yeah, I forgot, as your speed gets closer to C, your mass increases asymptotically, so you can never actually reach C until you have infinite mass, at which point it all becomes theoretical because you’ve probably destroyed the universe.
Hey, I just thought of something, what if the “Great Attractor” is actually something that tried to achieve the speed of light, and came close.
Also, the C problem is why hyperspace is so convenient!!!