Do you think that Faster Than Light space travel is not viable?

Question

I have my doubts as to whether this will ever happen due to the mass theories, and the energy required to even attempt such a feat. What is your opinion, and do you have theories as to how this might be achieved? I like Science Fiction, etc., but I just don't think it will ever happen.

Answer 1

According to our present understanding of the universe, based on Einstein's theory of General Relativity, it is impossible for any object to go faster than (or even at) the speed of light relative to any other object.

However, note that relativistic time-dilation means that instantaneous travel (for you) is possible. So I COULD travel to the Andromeda Galaxy and back in almost no time at all, providing I had a way to accelerate myself to close to the speed of light (which is not that difficult - a number of methods have been proposed, e.g. a "ramscoop" that collects interstellar hydrogen for fusion - impossible now, but not inconceivable). However, because of the way relativity works, when I got back, everyone would be long dead - the apparent travel time for me was zero, but for everyone else it was many millions of years. Bummer. I think you want something else, like teleportation or a "tesseract". That's still science fiction, I'm afraid.

Answer 2

according to the theory or relativity nothing can move as fast as the speed of light, the theory has been through incredible testing and shown to be right so far, no matter how fast you are moving a light wave is always moving at the speed of light which is strange since if a car was moving 10 miles an hour and you were running at 5 miles an hour the car would only be moving away from you at a rate of 5 miles per hour that does not apply with light hence the theory of special relativity........the light barrier is a universal that can never be broken......although we may one day be able to bend space time and rip a hole in it........the fastest way between 2 points on a paper is not a straight line but to bend the paper point to point

Answer 3

How about looking at the question from another angle?
Suppose faster than light space travel WERE possible. Obviously, we haven't invented it yet, but maybe another extra-terrestrial civilization HAS invented it?
Then that would counter the main argument against UFO's, namely the time and energy requirements to visit other inhabited planets.
Regardless of how much we know, or think we know, there are a lot more unknowns still out there.

And don't forget Clarke's First Law !

Answer 4

I thought it was physically impossible to even travel at the speed of light, let alone faster than it. The only way we might be able to travel over long distances quickly is through worm holes, or bending of space and time itself. Think of time as the fourth dimension, if we could somehow manipulate this we could travel any where fast, but this is something we cannot even begin to comprehend at this point in human existance. Look up time travel and light travel on the net, you'll find some really interesting stuff.

Answer 5

I like to think that it will be possible int the futrue. But first of all you would have to me taken apart to the neutrons, protons and electrons that make you up, only in this state can you travel the speaed of lite and faster. Time travel would only be into the furure, and it would be impossible to go back to where you started from or into the past.

This is wha tI have heard, it doesnt seem like it will happen soon, maybe not even in 100 years, but I like to think that people will find a way to travel all around time, like we traavel through space now. No one though that we could make it to the Moon or anywhee else, and we have!
Who knows what new technologies will come about in the furture and new discoveries.

Answer 6

Yes I do believe it is possible. If would could some how bend space time in front of and expand it in the rear then not only would we be able to travel faster than light but we would not feel the effects of traveling faster than light would bring like time dilation.
At this time the human race just have figured out the physics behind I believe but in time we will.

Answer 7

I think it is possible, but highly unlikely...But that doesn't mean space travel is out! Think of the possibilities of Near-Light travel! Time dilation could be a huge advantage to the intrepid space nomads...Clean up on long term investments, terraform planets on the fly and return in 5 years your time 5,000 years planet time!

I think if FTL becomes a reality it will be something science pulls accidentally out of something seemingly unrelated to thrust / mass=velocity, I don't think we're looking in the right direction just yet.

Answer 8

we probably won't have to travel faster than light to travel space, it's more likely that we'll teleport at this point, i'd like to make a captain kirk joke here but i guess i'll keep it genuine,,, google sub atomic theories you'll get some cool stuff like string theory and what not,, stuff on the sub atomic level don't got to obey physics like we do,, so i figuire maybe if i eat right and exercise i'll live long enough to go back in time and catch lynyrd skynyrd live in mobile 71 baby whoo hoo rock and roll

Answer 9

You are right. It is never going to happen. Factor in resources, strength of materials, money, the human body, speeds, trajectories, gravity, etc. etc. etc... there is no way we'll ever pull it off. MAYBE an unmanned vessel, but even that is a real long shot.

Answer 10

I think it is possible.

Physics experiments which show a single sub-atomic particle in two locations at the same time tells me that there is alot more we do not perceive about the universe than we do.