[quant5]

"Actually, relativity does not preclude faster than light travel, which is common at the quantum level. Since the connections between quantum mechanics and gravity are not worked out in the generally accepted models of physics, we are due for some major surprises. Notably, the proposed drive works by manipulating gravity, a common literary device in science fiction. Perhaps it will also be a feature of manned space vehicles in the next decade or two."

My guess is 50-60 years away and that the first two decades will be unmanned crafts. The technology is one thing, producing technology to keep us alive and healthy at the same time is something else.

[Rockingham]

The life support ought to be the easy part, especially if trips to Mars and the rest of the solar system are but a few hours. My guess is that the environmental hazards would be in the close vicinity of such craft due to the unshielded high energy fields. As for timetables, there is no telling what has already been accomplished via black programs. Every now and then, bits and pieces of evidence turn up suggesting that the US government has long been engaged in secret research into high energy physics along unorthodox lines.