Even if we travel at about the speed of light it will still take 4 years to get to a closest star. Will humans ever travel past the solar system and come back to tell about it?
2007-01-26 11:27:36 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The technology may involve a fusion, or ion drive. Right now, the best we have is chemical propulsion, and that's not nearly fast enough. It is not necessary to achieve light speed (and most likely impossible anyway for reasons I won't go into here). However, reaching a respectable percentage of the speed of light may be possible through propulsion other than chemical means. If we could attain even just 20% of the speed of light, star travel would be possible. The starship may have to have some sort of cryogenic facility, or the ability to sustain life on board for many decades. Still, at 20% lightspeed, it would only take 20 years to reach the Centauri system, which may have planets. Once we improve on the Hubble, it may be possible to detect smaller planets than those the size of Jupiter. If we do indeed detect an Earth-like planet not too many light years away, most likely there would be volunteers for such a one-way journey. We live in interesting times but star travel may take a few more generations to achieve.
2007-01-26 11:39:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I reckon so. It is technically impossible to travel faster than the speed of light and to even reach that speed would prove insanely difficult. It would be a matter of accelerating to great speed, say 1/2 the light speed and then waiting out the journey. Given time we may find a way to put humans into a state of suspended animation which would prevent them from aging on the trip. Ok, so you may be looking at a 10 year round trip (allowing a while to explore) but it isn't that long in the grander scheme of things. Now we just need to sort out an oxygen recycling system and get enough food for the trip.
2007-01-26 11:34:34 · answer #2 · answered by Alasdair S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Such a travel is theoretically possible.
With a small acceleration from ionic propulsion very respectable speeds could be achieved with time, but not close to the speed of light.
The only possibility is for a spaceship to be a self sufficient ecosystem capable of supporting the crew, part of which could also be submitted to cryogenic suspended life.
The spaceship will eventually reach the alien planetary system after a few generations on board.
Which means, the original crew will never see it. Unless we find a way to travel close to the speed of light.
2007-01-26 12:04:22 · answer #3 · answered by PragmaticAlien 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If we travel at the speed of light, our mass reaches infinity and we'd obliterate in space. So we can only travel up the speeds our bodies can manage to accommodate. We could try something like '2000, a Space Oddesey', which would take years to accomplish. Humans have the most amazing technologies to reach past our earth and build a space station, yet there are still millions of people dying of starvation. that is a sad truth about our world. I know this doesn't really answer your question, but at least it made you think about something!
2007-01-26 11:34:59 · answer #4 · answered by roya67 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Due to time dilation, humans could reach the nearest star in their own lifetime, but when they got back thousands of years would have passed. Would anybody want to go on such a journey.
Space travel will have to be to set up a new life on another planet, and will be like colonists going to America or Australia in the old days, never intending to come back.
In order to get to the nearest star in a reasonable time, an enormous source of acceleration is needed. No known system of propulsion can do this at present, although the Bussard Ramjet looks hopeful.
2007-01-26 11:32:27 · answer #5 · answered by Gnomon 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Unless we can circumvent the speed of light, the the only we can travel to close stars will be using multi-generational ships, or figure out how to use suspended animation.
2007-01-26 11:39:18 · answer #6 · answered by Philo42 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah i think it eventually will. but since stars can be thousands of light years away it would have to go like this:
first, we'd need a ship that can go almost the speed of light.
second, we'd need the ship to be very big. big enough to host humans for their entire lifetime. and there would have to be doctors on board to deliver babies. yes, babies would have to be born becuase the trip will take more than 100 years. it could take a thousand years. so, only your great great great great great great great great great great great grandson would be alive for the arrival. hopefully, once they get there, they can colonize one of the planets around the star or else it would be a wasted trip.
2007-01-26 11:42:42 · answer #7 · answered by smokesha 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Developing a technology would not be that difficult.
Traveling fast enough to make it plausible will probably never become a reality.
2007-01-27 00:31:24 · answer #8 · answered by Billy Butthead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In time almost everything will be possible, we just have to keep pushing the limits.
2007-01-26 11:32:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please read the excellent book, "Entering Space" by Dr. Robert Zubrin, PhD, for an in depth discussion of this topic. I highly recommend it.
2007-01-26 11:31:32 · answer #10 · answered by Sciencenut 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋