How soon will we be a star traveling race?

Question

We have got a lot still to accomplish technologically, I think at least another 70 to 150 years before we can travel to the nearest star, what do you guys think, am I being optimistic?

Answer 1

NO.

I think your estimates are fairly good unless there is some new breakthrough in engine or propulsion technology in the meantime.

The ion propulsion engines are feasible because it is possible to store Xenon Gas at very high pressure in a storage tank onboard a space craft. The Xenon Gas is released at a "low" pressure and bombarded with high voltage which produces Xenon Ions that are emitted in a focused stream out the back of the engine at about 30,000
miles per hour. Granted, the push from a teeny stream of ions is not great, but it is steady, and for long durations of engine operation (using little fuel), that is what you need. In essence, a million little pushes eventually equal to one big push...

What most high schoolers cannot comprehend is the dangers of excessive acceleration. The human body can only withstand so much instantaneous force being applied to it. Somewhere around ten or eleven G's is about what most of us can stand. We can, if equipped with special pressurized suits, withstand a bit more than that. These special suits inflate when needed to push our blood back up to the brain instead of having all of our blood in our feet and legs - blackout.

So, such wild ideas as being strapped to a canon shell, etc., etc., are just that...wild ideas. The pilot in such cases would be a mass of jelly. Acceleration must be applied slowly and constantly and then there are no ill effects. You could not, for example, lasso a comet to hitch a ride. The initial jerk would mash everyone into a puddle on the space craft floor.

Right now we seem to be trapped in Space Vehicle velocities of about 30,000 Miles Per Hour although the "Sling Shot" routing of Probes and Space Ships around other planets will add significant speed to the vehicles, actual vehicle speed on its own seems to be locked right in that area somewhere.

The concept of Space Sails has been tossed around and for travel within our Solar System may have some merit. However, I have difficulty seeing its possible usage for inter stellar travel where a strong supply of solar radiation from our Sun begins to dwindle down to not much energy (push). The intensity of solar radiation does adhere to the distance squared law, so the farther out you might travel, the intensity of propulsion from solar radiation is drasticly reduced as well.

Primary to all investigations of this type is the provision of some kind of onboard power storage (fuel tank) or the usage of something that is natural out in deep space as a supply of fuel. Here is an idea, half baked of course, but worth thinking about... how about some kind of molecule scoop on the front of the interstellar space ship? The ship could scoop up occasional molecules of hydrogen and methane gas as it traveled along on its journey, and funnel them back to a small compressor and storage tank after filtration and separation. Over long, long distances it is possible that some significant collections of various gases might be made if the scoop were large enough. Those collected and stored gases could then be used for additional energy to provide additional propulsion. I grant you that the amount might be small, but anything you can get for free is worth considering.

Don't quote me as an expert on the subject, but I have not heard of a suitable prototype fusion engine having been built yet, though a lot of people are working on the subject.

Answer 2

-- Any hypotheticals about building a ship and hauling all the people on Earth to another planet (as suggested by another answerer) is nothing but pure fantasy --

Rigil Kentaurus is a system of three stars: The binary system of Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B (distance 4.36 light years), and the smaller red dwarf Proxima Centauri (distance 4.22 light years). This system is an obvious first choice for an eventual manned exploration project. Computer models suggest that terrestrial planets would be able to form around the Binary system but not gas giants (due to the Binary gravitational effects). Jupiter and Saturn played crucial roles in determining the amount of water on Earth. However, this may be compensated by the gravitations effects of the binary suns. Both of the Binary stars also are in the right spectral class to harbor potential planetary life. NASA's SIM telescope, now planned for a 2016 launch, should be able to detect planets in the Rigil Kentaurus system.

Advances in interstellar propulsions need to be made before any serious consideration could be made to attempt a manned or unmanned journey to this system. Nothing exists at the moment, but theories are being presented.

Although this star system may appear close at 4.36 l.y., Voyagers 1 and 2 are currently our only interstellar craft and they have not even made it to interstellar space yet. Light travels 16,094,800,000 miles in one day and Voyager 1 is travelling at 1,000,000 miles in one day. A craft such as this would take over 64,000 years to travel to the Rigil Kentauris system.

Until any advances are made in propulsion systems, there can be no estimate on sending an unmanned probe (and certainly not a manned expedition) to this star system. My guess is that 150 years is far too optimistic. Research will continue in exploring our own solar system for many decades to come before considerations will be planned to explore other stars.

Answer 3

We really are waiting for that one breakthrough that allows us to get past the rocket engines we have now that are so slow and inefficient. We need a better power source that doesn't require a ton or two of fuel. Fission probably won't do it but fusion might. Ion drive needs some more size. There is something more, and the new collider being built might just give us a clue when we start ripping up some bigger particles. If we can figure how to manipulate gravity, if there really are gravitons and we can deal with them like we do electricity, THATS the ticket out!

Answer 4

You are quite realistic in your time line actually. A few "tools" need to be developed (the base already exists) and intelligent machines capable of independent work at a candidate world are also needed. Naturally we need to find candidate worlds for humans to travel too as well. Such a world could very well be found within decades as planet finding telescopes are already being built. Once one is found a ship full of machines and equipment in sent in an ordinary spacecraft. Machines don´t mind if it takes 75 years to travel 10 light years (to Epsilon Eridani). Humans would. But we don´t have to once the machines have built the appropriate infrastructure. When it is finished humans can travel at light speed to the destination. But ONLY to the prechosen destinations. And we won´t be breaking the known laws of physics by flying around Star Trek style anytime soon. If ever. Because as far as we know nothing with mass can move at lightspeed.

Answer 5

it will take more than 70 or 150 years just to get there once u take off. the nearest star is something like 24 lightyears away. light travels at 186,000 miles a second. u do the math. it wont happen for another millenia.

Answer 6

It probably will not happen in my lifetime (only about 20 years or less left), or in yours, but it will happen.

It will HAVE to happen, because life on Earth, as we know it, will evolve itself out of existence. It will eventually no longer be able to sustain life. We're slowly destroying the very thing that gives us life.

We're allowing waste to enter the ecosystem, poisoning fish and other aquatic life and making the water itself toxic.

We're removing great quantities of minerals from beneath the surface of the Earth and leaving large cavities subject to collapse.

So, my theory is, scientists had best get on the ball and find another habitable but uninhabited planet and shuffle us all off to Buffalo!

Answer 7

We are made up of different race. And its discriminatory to state which one will be the Race that will be the one that will reign the soonest in space travel.

Answer 8

ya can't get there from here.

space is really, really big.

seriously,
you would need a multi-generational ship, as in the great, great, great, ... grandchildren of those who launched would get to the next star. thats the reality of the situation.

speed limit:

186,000mpsecond.

its the law.