[Mikew]

You guys are blowing my mind. I thought this stuff was only in the movies!

It is.

 

[Corysxj88]

It is.

even though it is not possible at the moment...to me, it is unimaginable to think of interstellar travel. I'm sure that one day, someone will figure it out.

 

[trcubed]

even though it is not possible at the moment...to me, it is unimaginable to think of interstellar travel. I'm sure that one day, someone will figure it out.

It's fun to think about all the theory, but I also think there are things in this universe that we're not supposed to figure out.

 

[Corysxj88]

It's fun to think about all the theory, but I also think there are things in this universe that we're not supposed to figure out.

I agree. or better yet, that we as humans cannot figure out.

 

[Catfish]

I'm not sure why they think tinkering with gravity might produce that effect - gravity waves still only travel at c.

 

[P3209mm]

I'll bite. What are we going to accomplish?

Not sure what we could accomplish. But in about 50 years, computer and bio-engineering have had quantum leaps forward. In fact, just about 65 years ago, we had no good medicine to fight bacterial infections. Look at the development of IBM's Watson, which started as late as 2004. In 11 years, look at what has been accomplished. The human genome has been mapped in the last 25 years.

Just imagine 10,000 years from now. Scroll down to the "Meet Watson..." video. (Disclaimer: I don't work for IBM.)

http://www.ibm.com/madewithibm/watson/?r=lob&s=2&S_PKG=-&ct=C34403YW&jm=-&S_TACT=C34403YW&iio=CHQ&cmp=C3440&cr=google&cm=k&csr=Capabilities+-+Watson_UN&ccy=us&ck=watson computer&cs=e&cn=Cognitive&mkwid=stCZVKLlx-dc_80679232216_432t5q28552_

 

[shadowsbane]

Alpha Centauri is ~4.5 light years away. If you could travel there and back in 4 weeks, because of time dilation, everyone you know on Earth would be 9 years older when you returned. Space travel near the speed of light is interesting, but the only people that will participate are those that have no reason to return to Earth.

Ever read Dan Simmons and the Hyperion Cantos? There is a story in there called "Remembering Siri" that goes over this very thing.

Great series and the actual science is pretty spot on for what our understanding was at the time.

 

[trcubed]

One thing we've overlooked so far is that as we approach the speed of light, mass approaches infinity. That pretty much guarantees we won't have any womens along for the ride...no matter if they're green, brown, white, or mauve.

 

[shadowsbane]

That's true, but it is also relational. You would increase in mass, but not feel any fatter. Much in the opposite way Krispie Kreme makes one feel.

 

[trcubed]

That's true, but it is also relational. You would increase in mass, but not feel any fatter. Much in the opposite way Krispie Kreme makes one feel.

You wouldn't be any larger, either...just more dense, which my wife says fits me perfectly.

 

[JimP42]

Alpha Centauri is ~4.5 light years away. If you could travel there and back in 4 weeks, because of time dilation, everyone you know on Earth would be 9 years older when you returned. Space travel near the speed of light is interesting, but the only people that will participate are those that have no reason to return to Earth.

I'm thinking that doesn't actually apply here. The spaceship is sitting still relative to the local space, but the space is moving. No time dilation. Expansion and contraction of space-time doesn't result in time dilation. So it really is a 4 week round trip, assuming it is possible to implement at all. (I don't know where we can find any of the "negative energy" stuff you need…)

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

The actual time there and back is measured in weeks real-time, not weeks ship-time, while under Alcubierre Drive. This is because a ship traveling under Alcubierre Drive isn't actually moving faster than light relative to the space-time it's in. Rather, the space-time the ship is occupying will be traveling at super-luminal speeds.

This is because there is no speed-of-light limitation on how fast space-time itself can travel...only how fast things within space-time may travel relative to the referenced frame space-time. If you can contract and expand space-time enough around the ship itself, the EFFECT will be to have the ship move at faster-than-light speeds, even though the ship itself never exceeds the speed of light within its local space-time frame of reference.

Current theories have the age of the universe at about 13.772 billion years. Yet the observable size of the universe is about 91 billion light years. Theory has it that in the first brief instances of expansion after the birth of the universe, space-time itself expanded at many times the speed of light.

 

[Mikew]

I want to go all the way to the end of the universe so I can finely see whats on the other side of forever.

 

[Armorpl8chikn]

I'll bite. What are we going to accomplish?

There is a documentary on it somewhere.... lemme see....hmmmm can't find it.

Oh here it is:

 

[Armorpl8chikn]

I want to go all the way to the end of the universe so I can finely see whats on the other side of forever.

A giant brick wall guarded by a mean dog.

******** talking quantum physics and space time continuum.....gotta love it.

Most of us can't grasp external ballistics and bullet drop wind deflection.....
sounds like we have some Trekkies in here.

 

[trcubed]

Ever read Dan Simmons and the Hyperion Cantos? There is a story in there called "Remembering Siri" that goes over this very thing.

Great series and the actual science is pretty spot on for what our understanding was at the time.

I haven't, but will check that out. Most of my reading has been many physics texts and a little Asimov.

 

[Armorpl8chikn]

We would only blow ourselves up.

 

[trcubed]

A giant brick wall guarded by a mean dog.

******** talking quantum physics and space time continuum.....gotta love it.

Most of us can't grasp external ballistics and bullet drop wind deflection.....
sounds like we have some Trekkies in here.

Making fun of us, yet you spelled 'continuum' correctly?

 

[Climberman]

A giant brick wall guarded by a mean dog.

Sounds like Cerberus.

 

[Catfish]

A giant brick wall guarded by a mean dog.

******** talking quantum physics and space time continuum.....gotta love it.

Most of us can't grasp external ballistics and bullet drop wind deflection.....
sounds like we have some Trekkies in here.

That's because we spent too much time studying phasers: