Space travel.. are we looking at it wrong?

I've noticed that nearly every post related to spacetravel revolves around antigravity... We have tons of great minds and we are definatly moving forward at an increased rate. Lets slow down a touch and not get ahead of ourselves and look a little simpler.

Antigravity I definatly believe is possible, but I do not think we have advanced enough to create such a power supply that can be reliable and efficient so far. I'm thinking more along the lines of a power supply that can replenish itself at a slower rate... generating much less power,but non depleting and reusable energy..

The device would need a very high capacity of energy storage...first off I should also explain that im not talking of a ship to use within a gravity atmosphere, but outside..(small steps) The high energy stored would then be used in space with large releases of energy into bursts to travel... while the replenishing energy source is rebuilding the energy slowly... the device would need to be used with limits and wisely... if you have 100% energy stored and the fact of slow replenishing... a maximum of 33% to use for takeoff.. a stored 33% for reverse fire to slow down once you arrive at destination and 33% reserved for emergency situations that cause flight divertion.

A travel system to this extent can provide less energy use to and from destinations for other space devices... ie. sending a robot to mars .. etc etc...

I think a small step in this direction would be what we needed to boost interest in the area and give better insight as what to build and redevelope to make it more sufficient... We are trying to jump to antigravity vehicles without taking the baby steps needed beforehand...

Anyone have information of similar or pre-existing power sources? I must also include the possibility of using energy in "space" which is funny .. space defines that nothing is between.. in reality energy does exist.. how to harness it.. thats why im asking and trying to spark some thoughts.. I would also like to lean toward nature... water..vortex..friction.. so many possibilites to build energy.. The largest problem is having high energy stored and the most important.. the ability to release this energy in large sufficient amounts to generate the power needed ( for speed) ... "Windmill of the stars..."

Give me some info guys!!!

reply to post by Xagathorn

Explanation: S&F!

Awesome Thread concept! Brilliant!

Ok here goes....

The vacuum of space supposedly has actual frames that make up the fabric of 4D space+time. If we could grab onto these frames then we could crawl through empty space at the best rate we could crawl.
Sorta like an old space based D&D traction engine. Start off slower than a solar sail and yet 2mnths later its going superluminal due to build up effects of momentum ect!

Next idea is to decouple the entire fermion based mass spaceship from the Higgs Field [if it exists].
This would make the ship massless just like photonic bosons and we could travel at luminal speeds.
Some spaceship containment field may be required!

Now I'd like to focus on a really bizzare retro rocket method of "Launching heavy masses into space!" thread I created a while back and I offer it up for you to have a look!

TOPIC: Amish inspired, Volcano/Quake powered, Space launch systems!

Finally as to self sustaining/regenerating energy I believe that if we can set up a really massive TRUE vacuum that is free from as many universal forces and their associated fields then...then I have a feeling that such a near pure vaccum will abhore itself and create massive amounts of virtual particles to compensate and then we suddenly bring down an event horizon in the midst of this mostly pure vacuum with its host of virtual particals just bubbling beneath the surface, and this action will Realize those virtual particals by siphoning off their opposite partner to a large capacitor or battery so as to complete the circuit later on. [i.e this battery will draw their opposite partner thru the ships power circuits and when the arrive the just wink back out off existence and the universes energy debt is cleared and all equations balance out to ZERO again!]

Personal Disclosure: I hope that helps!

Edited Spelling Fail. :shk:

[edit on 27-2-2010 by OmegaLogos]

Explanation: BUMP!

Personal Disclosure: This thread disappeared way too quickly and I have just rectified that!

Here is something that might interest you, as a way of storing energy

en.wikipedia.org...

i know its from wikipedia, but its interesting

essentially, they spin up a flywheel in a vacuum, running with magnetic bearings (essentially zero friction force) and it can store energy almost indefinately (with small energy loss due to imperfect vacuum). NASA has been developing this for use in space.

I know this is not entirely on topic, but it is an energy storage idea that you may be interested in.

also, another way to generate energy on an insulated space ship (more like reuse energy) is by applying the material used to harness the thermoelectric effect. This doesnt really generate energy, but it helps reduce waste energy, and would work perfect in space where the difference in temperature on the outside of the craft is much larger than that on the inside (temperature difference=electric current, so to speak)

I can't imagine more energy being stored in a smaller space than antimatter, so Star Trek writers had a good idea. Of course the containment field is another problem.

Even if you have an energy source, what are you going to do with the energy? You could create a million billion jiggawatts of energy and without a propulsion system, all that energy won't move the spaceship. In Star Trek the energy powered a warp drive but that's still just a theory that we have no idea how to create or implement.

I think that we should have a method of creating gravity. Let's say we have a stronger gravitational pull on the ceiling of a roof. (The bottom has the normal gravitational pull.) The gravitational pull could be made strong enough to lift an object up or keep it in a zero gravity environment.

(and p.s. I also have a way that would do this.)

reply to post by Xagathorn


I think we spin one of these superconductor flywheels in the supercooled space enviroment and
create our own directional gravitational field to pull the craft to it's destination.
I imagine it could be powered by solar, nuclear or other methods.

Here is the link to the original work.

arxiv.org...

reply to post by Xagathorn


Nice thread Xagathorn, we actually already have a feasible plan regarding what kind of engine and fuel that we're going to use to explorer the solar system. It's just going to take some time to develop it.

The engine will be a positronic engine, it'll use antimatter as fuel.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


I hear you on that one, the main point of dismissing beam technology as a method of space launch.

you can beam all the energy you want to something, but how is it going to move?

Its not really a matter of energy collection in space, We have access solar power (without the atmosphere) Its not like we couldn't run a nuclear reactor in space (we have already done that)

The problem is converting that into forward motion (or any motion of that matter)

how do you move in a vacuum?

we almost have the technology for this-

Launch a regular space shuttle with a little extra radiation insulation , then periodically release nukes, like land mines. When the shuttle gets far enough away, detonate, this pushes us along.

Well,I will have to burst all you space cadets bubble.

There will be no manned space exploration beyond what we have so far achieved.

Everything we are doing now with the shuttles and the ISS are all just near earth exploration.

We are not even leaving the atmosphere just up there acting as if we are.

It takes an ungodly amount of energy to "push" even a small capsule and a lander past escape velocity to get free of the planets gravitational pull.

The amount of money required to build enough of these to even colonize even the moon would bankrupt the planet.

You all can speculate,hypothesize and dream all you want.

The honest truth is this.If you all live to be a hundred,we will not have become any closer than we are now.

Man"kind" and its children spend way to much time dreaming of building craft and leaving their home instead of focusing on how to make their home a better place to live.

You are already living on the perfect space ship!

Just accept that fact, lie back in the grass at night and stare out into space and enjoy the ride!