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Starship pilots: speed kills, especially warp speed
http://www.newscientist.com ^
| February 17 2010
| Valerie Jamieson
Posted on 02/18/2010 3:22:11 PM PST by Para-Ord.45
Star Trek fans, prepare to be disappointed. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew would die within a second of the USS Enterprise approaching the speed of light.
The problem lies with Einstein's special theory of relativity. It transforms the thin wisp of hydrogen gas that permeates interstellar space into an intense radiation beam that would kill humans within seconds and destroy the spacecraft's electronic instruments.
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
TOPICS: News/Current Events
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To: The Working Man
You can “jump” in the BSG universe, not Star Trek....
41
posted on
02/18/2010 3:37:13 PM PST
by
mikrofon
(Yeah, too much time ;)
To: Para-Ord.45
When it comes to light, light speed, gravity, time and space, there are some things we know and a whole lot more we don’t.
42
posted on
02/18/2010 3:37:19 PM PST
by
DoughtyOne
(God, Family, Friends, Home, Town, State, the U.S., Conservatism, Free Republic & a dollar a day...)
To: rabidralph
Should that be spacial or spatial? Special as opposed to general.
43
posted on
02/18/2010 3:37:36 PM PST
by
KarlInOhio
(New Olympic tagline Shut up, Bob Costas. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!)
To: LibLieSlayer
StarBurst — the propulsive confection!
44
posted on
02/18/2010 3:37:52 PM PST
by
Still Thinking
(Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
To: RinaseaofDs
Actually, that would be Warp Factor 5000.
Too much of the yodles and Chocolate moo.
I wonder how many tax dollars this study cost us.
I can’t wait for them to debunk Superman.
46
posted on
02/18/2010 3:38:19 PM PST
by
Ed Condon
(Wanted, newer tag line in good condition.)
To: Fiddlstix
99.9999999999 % the speed of light ...time compression. To passengers, it would be 10 years. To the rest of the universe, and all the folks back home, it would, indeed, be 50,000 years. The effect of compression actually makes the distance shrink.
The passengers themselves don't seem to be exceeding the speed of light. If they shine a light beam out the front of the mighty ENTERPRISE, the beam would leave them behind at...the speed of light.
It's one case where everything actually is "RELATIVE". That's why it's called "relativity". TANSTAAFL.
47
posted on
02/18/2010 3:38:53 PM PST
by
Huebolt
(Democrat = (national socialist) = NAZI)
To: All
Much cheaper & faster.
48
posted on
02/18/2010 3:39:15 PM PST
by
Sloth
(Civil disobedience? I'm afraid only the uncivil kind is going to cut it this time.)
To: Para-Ord.45
A back of the envelope calculation, if you keep acceleration around 1Gs, it will take on the order of 10 years to get to light speed. Of course you have to start to slow down before you get there too.
49
posted on
02/18/2010 3:39:43 PM PST
by
dmcnash
(y)
To: KarlInOhio
50
posted on
02/18/2010 3:40:12 PM PST
by
rabidralph
("Precedenting" is a lot tougher than community organizing.)
I believe that is why a starship has a warp field generator. The warp field encases the starship, and is what carries it at what appears to be faster than the speed of light. However, the warp field generator is in fact warping space, so that the starship inside the field never actually excedes the speed of light. The warp field also protects the ship from the nasty effects described in this article. This is why the propulsion system used on starships is called “warp drive”.
51
posted on
02/18/2010 3:40:25 PM PST
by
Zetman
To: RinaseaofDs; thesharkboy
You were saying ...
Have you not heard of Warp Factor 500?!?
Actually, it doesn't take Warp 500... LOL... check out Warp 9.
52
posted on
02/18/2010 3:41:17 PM PST
by
Star Traveler
(Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
Comment #53 Removed by Moderator
To: Fiddlstix
Time dilation on the ship close to the speed of light would make only ten years pass for the crew.
54
posted on
02/18/2010 3:42:09 PM PST
by
GAB-1955
(I write books, love my wife, serve my nation, and believe in the Resurrection.)
To: FateAmenableToChange
if they could accelerate instantly to near light speed. And if you can do that, or even a small fraction of it, you need inertial dampers to prevent your crew from becoming chunky salsa.
55
posted on
02/18/2010 3:42:18 PM PST
by
Sloth
(Civil disobedience? I'm afraid only the uncivil kind is going to cut it this time.)
To: All
Warp drive is so mid-20th century. Give me a wormhole drive any day.
To: dr_who
Or even .. The sound of one hand clapping!
57
posted on
02/18/2010 3:43:09 PM PST
by
plinyelder
("I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born." -- Ronald Reagan)
To: Para-Ord.45
Isn't it possible that a sufficiently advanced civilization would be able to work out these technological problems if they reached the stage where they could build a ship capable of near-light speed? Just sayin.
58
posted on
02/18/2010 3:43:50 PM PST
by
hdbc
(1/20/13 End of an Error.)
To: mikrofon; The Working Man
59
posted on
02/18/2010 3:44:31 PM PST
by
Star Traveler
(Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
To: Windcatcher
10 years is still a long time to listen to the kids whining “Are we there yet?”
60
posted on
02/18/2010 3:45:09 PM PST
by
Tijeras_Slim
(Live jubtabulously!)
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