ATS Members - When Do YOU Think We Will Travel at Light-Speed?

Fellow/Lady ATS Members..What are your thoughts on this subject?

I read many years ago that the human body couldn't handle the stress involved with accelerating to light speed, unless it occurred over several weeks. Even the mind would have a hard time enduring the stress, because time would begin to be perceived differently. It's nothing like what we see in Star Trek and Star Wars. Going from a stand-still to Light-Speed in 5 seconds would be instant death.

Also, if mankind applied unlimited mental and financial resources towards achieving human travel at the speed of light, approximately how long would it take for us to reach that goal? The first test-flight would be far more risky and dangerous than the first Mercury mission, wouldn't it? I suppose we'd first send a gorilla out to Neptune and back.

When I saw the announcement that 7 Earth-like planets have been found "only" 40 Light-years away, followed by NASA announcing that we will get to the next planet in our solar system (Mars) in 15 years or so.. it makes me wonder. Is it even possible that our great-great grandchildren will see Light-Speed travel? I don't think limping out to Mars will do much for helping us learn how to reach the 7 planets in the Trappist-1 system...will it?

Maybe we need a HUGE NEW DISCOVERY of some kind, in order to even attempt a serious project of this nature. What do you think?

-CareWeMust

a reply to: carewemust

Moving at most 99% of light would use an infinite amount of energy
Moving at near light speed would mean any object would have infinite mass. And would be stretched to an infinite length (i.e. spaghettified )

So , potential answer to your question : Never (unless the Great Einstein was wrong completely )

a reply to: carewemust

In Halo, space travel consist of going through slip space.

Basically, they open a hole in one place to another dimension and then coming out to another place.

Actually much more plausible and safer.

a reply to: Gothmog

You sure know how to kill off a dream, don't you! Looks like we (mankind) is going to need a quantum leap in knowledge. Maybe a friendly Extra Terrestrial will give us some tips!

a reply to: starwarsisreal

That would be a heck of a lot safer AND faster. Thanks for relating that concept, StarWarsIsReal!

Pretty sure you could edge up to light speed, and as you're edging up to it other teams could try to catch up to you and resupply.
But only because it would take you like 100 years to get up to light speed; and in that time tech would just get on without you.

a reply to: BeneGesseritWitch

Plus, once you get that close to Light-Speed, your communications directed to Earth, behind you, won't make it to Earth will they? It would be like travelling North at 2,000mph and shooting a 1,999mph bullet at someone who is 1,000 feet behind you. Would that bullet make it to the target?

a reply to: carewemust

It would be like travelling North at 2,000mph and shooting a 1,999mph bullet at someone who is 1,000 feet behind you. Would that bullet make it to the target?

No. The speed of light is the speed of light. No matter what your point of reference.
Base concept: the speed of light is not relative. Electromagnetic radiation is no bullet.

a reply to: carewemust

If they made it to light speed could you walk from the back of the craft to the front .

a reply to: carewemust

Bending space is one method; teleportation would be another.

Solving the acceleration issue is easier by just ignoring it. The way humans do everything else is by cheating, we likely will give up making spaceships once they're irrelevant and other travel technologies previously thought impossible become more practical.

a reply to: BeneGesseritWitch

But only because it would take you like 100 years to get up to light speed;

Fun fact; at an acceleration of 1g it would take pretty darned close to 1 year to reach lightspeed.

Of course, that assumes that you could maintain that rate of acceleration. That's problematic. The faster you go, the more problematic.

a reply to: MacK80

The way humans do everything else is by cheating,

You mean like "defying gravity" with airplanes?
Nope, that's just using the rules to your advantage.

originally posted by: MacK80
a reply to: carewemust

Bending space is one method; teleportation would be another.

Solving the acceleration issue is easier by just ignoring it. The way humans do everything else is by cheating, we likely will give up making spaceships once they're irrelevant and other travel technologies previously thought impossible become more practical.

This. Bending space time means you don't have to travel at any speed.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: carewemust

It would be like travelling North at 2,000mph and shooting a 1,999mph bullet at someone who is 1,000 feet behind you. Would that bullet make it to the target?

No. The speed of light is the speed of light. No matter what your point of reference.
Base concept: the speed of light is not relative. Electromagnetic radiation is no bullet.

Summary: You're traveling at the speed of light and point a flashlight behind you. The light beam will travel outward just like you were standing still? If so, my mind is blown.

a reply to: BeneGesseritWitch

So... you don't know what the term acceleration means?

1g is 32 feet per second per second (32 ft/sec^2). Do the math.

a reply to: carewemust

Yeah, relativity can do that. Ain't it cool?

But that really is just the beginning of the weirdness of it.

a reply to: MacK80

I'd like to see mankind develop a type of long-distance travel that doesn't involve our physical bodies. Maybe some kind of Spirit travel. It would be neat if 5 people could mentally zip off to a Star System...explore a planet...then come back to Earth and talk about what they saw and experienced.

You could explore the entire Universe then, couldn't you?

a reply to: carewemust

Thinking is the best way to travel.


I don't believe it, myself.

If someone suggests you can do this in your sleep by changing your "vibration" speed, move along in storm trooper fashion; ie without aim and in marching formation.
Sure you can get an engine in "space" that will reach instantaneous velocity at 0 seconds, but can the human body survive that?
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