[SamAdams76]

Fact is that while we can theoretically build spacecraft that go at amazing speeds, we are always going to be limited in how fast we can go due to risk of collision with objects.

Picture how difficult it is to swerve around objects on the highway at high rates of speed. Now apply that to space only you are moving at much faster rate of speed. Even a tiny piece of space junk the size of a marble can be lethal to a spacecraft moving at a very high rate of speed.

So unless we can develop some kind of sophisticated radar that can allow our spacecraft to see these objects millions of miles away and automatically make slight corrections in course to avoid these tiny objects or unless we develop an exterior to the spacecraft that is impervious to collisions at high rates of speed, we are going to continue to be limited in how fast we can go in space.

What we really need to focus on is teleportation.

[LibWhacker]

Another possibility I’ve read about: Inducing an artificial “atmosphere” around your ship that extends out hundreds of miles and in which any moderately massive incoming asteroids would burn up. This, perhaps, could be some kind of plasma held in place by a strong magnetic field?

[east1234]

This is what shields are for, haven’t you ever seen StarTrek?

[JamesP81]

So unless we can develop some kind of sophisticated radar that can allow our spacecraft to see these objects millions of miles away and automatically make slight corrections in course to avoid these tiny objects or unless we develop an exterior to the spacecraft that is impervious to collisions at high rates of speed, we are going to continue to be limited in how fast we can go in space.

There are only three solutions to the collision problem: deflector shields, sophisticated armor plating, or highly accurate and reliable weapons (probably lasers or particle beams) that can incinerate the objects. The weapons solution is likely unworkable; we're talking about having a computer system with a radar that can detect a tiny pebble from a million miles out, target, and fire on it before you run over it, correcting for lag imposed by the lightspeed barrier on your radar.