Unless all that black matter that we can't account for is absorbing those transmissions...
I agree with both premises. I think radio transmissions get diluted and lost among the background noise emanated by stars, quasars, radioactive gases, planets, nebulae, etc. I'm no scientist, but in my opinion, radio is a terrible medium for interstellar, or even interplanetary communication.
I think you'd want to send communications in a precisely directed manner, using a medium that is something like a tight beam that exceeds the speed of light. Now, that would be a neat trick, given that you and the recipient are both in motion, relative to the stars and planets.
But --- if you imagine a straight line between the transmission point and the receipt point, you can begin to get the idea that they could perhaps lock onto each other, thereby having that one stable line as their path of communication. Even though both points are in motion, it wouldn't matter, because the line of contact between them remains stable in relative terms. Hmm....
What if, in the plane, the geometry is such that there is no opportunity to form a straight line where the communication can arrive unobstructed? A heavenly body gets in the way or the communication is obstructed because of another event where no stability of the communication line is possible either due to an obstruction or unacceptable geometric planes.
HOUSTON — A warp drive to achieve faster-than-light travel — a concept popularized in television's Star Trek — may not be as unrealistic as once thought, scientists say.
A warp drive would manipulate space-time itself to move a starship, taking advantage of a loophole in the laws of physics that prevent anything from moving faster than light. A concept for a real-life warp drive was suggested in 1994 by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre, however subsequent calculations found that such a device would require prohibitive amounts of energy.
Now physicists say that adjustments can be made to the proposed warp drive that would enable it to run on significantly less energy, potentially brining the idea back from the realm of science fiction into science.
Laboratory tests
White and his colleagues have begun experimenting with a mini version of the warp drive in their laboratory.
They set up what they call the White-Juday Warp Field Interferometer at the Johnson Space Center, essentially creating a laser interferometer that instigates micro versions of space-time warps.
"We're trying to see if we can generate a very tiny instance of this in a tabletop experiment, to try to perturb space-time by one part in 10 million," White said.
He called the project a "humble experiment" compared to what would be needed for a real warp drive, but said it represents a promising first step.
And other scientists stressed that even outlandish-sounding ideas, such as the warp drive, need to be considered if humanity is serious about traveling to other stars.
"If we're ever going to become a true spacefaring civilization, we're going to have to think outside the box a little bit, were going to have to be a little bit audacious," Obousy said.
http://news.yahoo.com/warp-drive-may-more-feasible-thought-scientists-161301109.html