will man ever exceed the speed of light beacause if we want to do some serious space exploration we will need to go at least that fast because it would take forever to get from one place to another
2007-03-21 04:35:38 · 23 answers · asked by dmwallin2002 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The science of today might indicate that it's impossible. However, given all of the "impossible" things that we have invented, I think it will happen some day.
2007-03-21 04:40:06 · answer #1 · answered by mark 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Perhaps a better question to ask is why anyone would want to?
Even if we could exceed light speed - which is impossible anyway - that doesn't mean any place we explore which may have use for humans here on Earth will be close by. Many interesting places in the universe are hundreds of light years distance - we won't live for hundreds of years. Besides, I can't even fathom the amount of energy that would be required to even approach light speed, let alone exceed it!
Eeks!
2007-03-22 12:37:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My theory is that it is possible, we just do not have the understanding or technology to do this yet.
Consider black holes. The one thing that quite literally "eats" light once it passes the event horizon. If even light cannot escape such tremendous gravity, then the question is not "Will man ever exceed the speed of light", the question becomes "How will man harness the power of gravity to go beyond the speed of light". Will man (or woman-kind for Blondie) ever be able to grapple with gravity and push past the barrier? Who knows, I know I won't be around, but because of what is known about black holes, and gravity, I believe that our species will one day exceed that speed and break all laws of physics.
2007-03-21 14:30:36 · answer #3 · answered by We Done Yet? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I love it when people so adamantly answer "No, it's just not possible." to this question. The truth is that we just don't know yet. We're still using crappy space shuttles from the '60s, there's not really been any innovations with space exploration since we're too busy fighting other peoples wars for them. (See the middle east.)
But to answer the question, sure, why not? Hundreds of years ago, people knew for a fact that the world was flat. A little over a hundred years ago, people still rode horses to get from place to place. Forty years ago, no one was sitting on the internet answering questions on Yahoo! Answers.
The point is that we just don't know how far technology will advance. When it comes to space travel, especially traveling as fast as or exceeding light speed, we just simply don't have the knowledge to even fathom how it would be done at this time, so the easy answer is, "No, it's just not possible."
To a caveman, a car is magical. It's not magical, of course, but to him, it would be so since he would simply have no comprehension of it's technology.
If aliens landed on the planet today, that would seem *nearly magical* to us seeing as though we have no idea how their ship moves at the speeds it does with no visible engine room. (* This is just example and me talking.)
One day man may exceed the speed of light. We won't see it in our lifetime, but who's to say it can't happen?
...imagine 250 years from now when a scientist discovers how to "bend space" around a ship to make it seem to have more mass than it actually has. And imagine another scientist discovering how to create an equal amount of opposible force against the strain of light speed to keep it's crew from being slammed up against the back wall everytime it goes into light speed...
Moral of the story? We just don't know yet. Maybe one day! Nothings impossible!
2007-03-21 11:45:49 · answer #4 · answered by Gravity 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Not at all unlikely. Though matter cannot exceed the speed of light (due to limits imposed by well-known theories like Einstein's), a volume or lump of space can travel at any speed. Of course, we have no clue how to accomplish this. We might learn one day.
2007-03-21 12:58:21 · answer #5 · answered by ramshi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. No matter how fast you go - light is always going to be faster. You will always be able to see something before you get to it. Just think of the problems if we are not able to see an object before we get to it - we might run into (or right through) it!! And since all radio waves travel at the speed of light - and sound travels so much slower, there would be no way of detecting where we are when traveling faster than light. Almost as if we are in our very own black hole.
However - I believe there are ways around this problem. Light travels at 670,616,629.384 mph. Say perhaps you are travelling at 670,616,629.000 mph. To you - light is still faster. But compared to someone on Earth, time is going much slower for you. I don't know exact figures, but for example, your hour = one second on Earth. So now you're going - relative to Earth - 670,616,629.000 miles per second, but light is still faster.
To an Earthling, it may seem like you have travelled faster than light, but really you have not because light was still moving faster than you were. Light has not changed - only time.
The closer we get to the speed of light, the slower time goes. So in my mind, it is possible (with the proper method of propulsion) to reach the farthest star in the universe and make it back to Earth in much less than a lifetime.
2007-03-21 12:05:30 · answer #6 · answered by Searching 4 Answers 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Quite likely...first we have to practice sending inanimate things at the speed of light before we do organic material...I think we are well on the way with advancements in technology, radio transmissions and fax machines.
It is highly probable that that "Beam Me Up, Scottie" line will not always be fictional.
By the Way...Einstein is old news and has been proven incorrect in many areas and in the other areas have been greatly improved. We are not stuck in the Einstein era of WWII technology...THANK 'GOD'! WE ARE EVOLVING WHETHER RELIGIOUS PEOPLE LIKE IT OR NOT!!!
People who can't see the infinite possibilities of the human mind are simply frightened...all things are possible to them that believe!!!
2007-03-21 11:44:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
MAN will never do it...
But if we jacked some teenagers up on beer and
cocane, they will go insane and will break all laws possible.
Once the break all the social laws they'll go for Einstein's laws of physics and matter and go faster than the speed of light on a single tank of gas.
2007-03-21 14:33:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe with the Star Trek approach of bending the universe around yourself.
Or the Futurama approach of moving the universe around te ship.
Or by creating worm-holes and jump points.
2007-03-21 11:46:03 · answer #9 · answered by ryushinigami 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, Einstein's relativity makes the speed of light the universal speed limit. Plus the faster you go, the more energy it takes to keep you accelerating.
2007-03-21 11:43:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The speed of light is the hard speed limit of the universe. Nothing can move faster than light.
However, it may be possible to communicate or travel faster than light, using alternates methods/routes.
See the following link for a discussion of FTL communications and travel.
2007-03-21 11:40:52 · answer #11 · answered by henchook 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋