Reaching for Interstellar Flight

space.com ^ | 12/17/03 | Leonard David

[KevinDavis]

When Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise hit the television screen in 1966, the science fiction series had trouble finding its own space and time slot.

Decades later, a similar visionary zeal to seek new worlds and new civilizations is a factual enterprise for a new generation of galactic explorers. They are taking on spacetime and hoping to boldly go where no spacecraft has gone before -- out to far-flung stars and the planets that circle them.

[KevinDavis]

For once NASA is doing something right. I say in less then 100 years humans will be leaving the solar system.

[KevinDavis]

Space Ping! This is the space ping list! Let me know if you want on or off this list!

[skinkinthegrass]

Hey K, thanks for the pings. :))

BTTT

[pabianice]

To the best of my knowledge, every single big jump in technology had previously been declared "impossible." One particularly delicious bit is the snot-nosed NY Times declaring in October, 1903, that powered flight would not be realized for at least another million years (these dildos have quite a track record, don't they?)

I am certain we will some day get around the speed of light and inertia issues and make star travel a reality.

[RandallFlagg]

Screw the Enterprise.

I want a Star Destroyer fleet!!

[KevinDavis]

I prefer the Prometheus....

[KevinDavis]

That could have been the attitude of some freepers during that time also. Again I say 100 years or less we will get around the speed of light issue.

[Riley]

Space.com at least, can be relied upon to know the difference between 'interstellar', 'intergalactic' and 'interplantetary'.

Most newsroom wonks seem to use them interchangeably- one of my stable of pet peeves.

I'll agree with the poster who expressed the sentiment that so many scientific advances are thought to be 'impossible' before they're actually accomplished. Science is great- but it sometimes comes with an arrogance that reads, 'if we can't at least theorize how to do it now, it can't be done'. Maybe a study of scientific history is in order.

[RandallFlagg]

I prefer the Prometheus....

What? No pictures?

..Tease..

[staytrue]

No one has ever observed a macro sized object exceed the speed of light in nature. And we have looked at a lot of objects.

For airplanes, at least we could observe birds doing it.

[Aeronaut]

I am certain we will some day get around the speed of light and inertia issues and make star travel a reality.

A long-ago acquaintence theorized that there is a "parallel world" where nothing goes slower than the speed of light. All we need to do is figure out how to get to the other side. I don't know if I believe it, but it can lead to some interesting speculation and discussion.

[Momaw Nadon]

[ctdonath2]

The great irony of the first manned interstellar trip is that when the destination is reached, the travellers will find the destination already populated by those who left Earth later on much faster ships.

[RadioAstronomer]

For once NASA is doing something right. I say in less then 100 years humans will be leaving the solar system.

If you said getting back to the Moon or possibly a Mars mission, I think you would be closer to the mark. Interstellar travel will not be coming for a while yet, if ever.

[Momaw Nadon]

[Physicist]

Most physicists go screaming in the other direction when faced with this problem, March observed.

It's not the problem itself that causes that reaction. It's the stench of the pile of bull$#!t that people heap on top of it.

[staytrue]

The great irony of the first manned interstellar trip is that when the destination is reached, the travellers will find the destination already populated by those who left Earth later on much faster ships.

This is the general consensus among most of my physics professors. It was also the subject of a twilight zone episode. One man was put into suspended animation and sent off to the nearest star. The woman he loved decided to go into suspended animation on earth, so they could be the same age when he got back. While in the capsule, he decided he wanted to be the same age as her and turned off the suspended animation. OOPS.

[inquest]

"Antimatter technology is in its infancy, but is rapidly growing," Howe said. Within the next fifty years, antimatter technology may have the same impact as the laser has had over the past fifty years, he forecasts.

Gulp.

[staytrue]

Eventually, we will do interstellar travel because our sun will blow up in a few billion years and it will be a choice of traveling or dying. I think we will chose traveling. So it will come eventually. Probably not in 100 years though.

[PatrickHenry]

PING. [This ping list is for the evolution side of evolution threads, and sometimes for other science topics. FReepmail me to be added or dropped.]