Interstellar space travel ? Think again.....

[LARGO9]

• • Immense Distances:
    Even the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, is incredibly far, making travel times for current spacecraft tens of thousands of years long. It will never happen in our life time or our children's children life time

 

[The Old Jaybird]

I don't want UFOs, because that would prove a civilization more advanced than ours, and makes us "second place" life forms and nothing good happens when you are holding the short end of the stick. Just ask the native Americans.

 

[MCurtis762]

The sheer number of galaxies in the OBSERVABLE universe is mind bending. To say that other earth-like planets cannot exist is foolish. To say nothing of what lies beyond the observable universe.

 

[rOmiLaYu]

If one can't image something, is that a limit of reality, or a limitation of imagination?

That's a fair statement, but the reality of interstellar travel is that the math tells us it is not possible. Einstein's theory of relativity shows us that as an object approaches the speed of light, its relativistic mass increases, requiring exponentially more energy to increase its speed meaning that acheiving "light speed" isn't possible. And failing that, we would have to travel at sublight speeds. And space is far too big for that. In the words of Douglas Adams, "Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space."

That's why all the SciFi shows create these special plot devices known as "warp speed" or "jumps" or whatever other mechanic they travel through space because they realize that interstellar travel isn't possible without that.

 

[aFarewellToKings]

• • Immense Distances:
    Even the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, is incredibly far, making travel times for current spacecraft tens of thousands of years long. It will never happen in our life time or our children's children life time

Well, yeah
And if you use a vehicle only designed to take you to the local store, it'll take a long while to get across the country.

Using technology not much more advanced than today, a ship could get there within a lifetime. Of course, it'd take quantities of material and fuel we have no way of building it with currently.
And, that's only the nearest neighbor.

 

[GeauxLSU]

 

[TresMonos]

Never say never....say "not in my lifetime" instead.

 

[Gixxer]

Try explaining to that Roman that you could hold a conversation in real time with someone anywhere within the Roman Empire. Or visit them with a couple hours.

If one can't image something, is that a limit of reality, or a limitation of imagination?

You're the Roman in this scenario.

 

[aFarewellToKings]

 

[lostchild]

Never say never....