2007-08-20 05:31:52 · 10 answers · asked by Web Wanderer 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
No. And faster than light speed isn't impossible.
Why don't you read more than one book, Captain Mephisto? You don't know what you are talking about.
2007-08-20 05:35:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Please read a good book or source on relativity (and that would apply to some of the people answering this question). The fact that no object can travel at or faster than the speed of light is a property of the universe we happen to live in. This is in no way comparable to making a car go faster or a plane fly faster than the speed of sound. It has nothing to do with technology since technology also must abide by the physical laws. What happens is that as you go faster and faster your mass increases - and keeps increasing - and therefore more energy - and even more energy - is needed to kick the speed up another notch. This fact is shown everyday in probably every lab that does high energy experiments involving elementary particles. And yes this limits space travel, you are quite correct. Now think about UFOs (forget the wormhole nonsense and warp drives and all this other stuff). What does this mean for UFOs? Even traveling near the speed of light - although your time on the UFO could be made very reasonable - if you travel a thousand light years, stay a year, and then return, over two thousand years will have passed on the planet you left from. Everyone you knew would be long dead, everything you know would be mostly forgotten. It would be like taking a roman citizen and bringing him to now. So it is not very likely that people from other planets buzz by the earth and do a crop circle here or mutilate some cattle there or abduct the blond down the street. And it is precisely because space travel is limited that there is absolutely no proof whatsoever (forget the conspiracy clowns) that UFOs exist. They don't.
2007-08-20 06:10:46 · answer #2 · answered by Captain Mephisto 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Oh no. I think future space travelers will probably take take inspiration from science fiction and build ships like those in Arthur Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama or Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow.
Even if we only achieve one tenth the speed of light and send out two star ship ever 5,000 years and every distant Earth colony after wards does the same sending two star ships out every 5,000 years; the entire galaxy could be explored and colonized in only a few million years. It's not Star Trek but it's in the realm of possibility.
Also the speed of light might not be absolute, there are new theories in physics that suggest ways around it.
2007-08-20 05:56:06 · answer #3 · answered by brianjames04 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The limitations placed on us by the fundamental laws of physics - the fact that the speed of light is both finite and the same in all frames (leading to special relativity) - will indeed limit what we can do with space travel.
Basically it means we will likely be confined to our own solar system.
Here is an example. Imagine you could invent an engine that could accelerate you at 10 m/s/s/ for as long as you want. Thats the same acceleration as gravity, so it would not hurt you.
It turns out that within 25 years in your own frame of reference within the space ship you will have reached the edge of the known universe. Unfortunately, due to special relativity, back on Earth 15 billion years will have passed. So there will be no point turning round and going back.
2007-08-20 07:25:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Its limited by the vast distances of the Universe and the Economic of travel cost. It much easier to
travel on Earth for vacation.
2007-08-20 05:44:02 · answer #5 · answered by goring 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the problem is with making it plausible. currently you cannot travel near that speed. Think about this, if a molecule of air hits you going at 100 m/s it wont cause you any damage. A molecule of of oxygen moving at 150,000 m/s (half the speed of light) would probably cut through anything since the energy contained is related to the square of its velocity. even in the emptiness of space, molecules exist and they would tear up any conventional type of spacecraft we could build now.
2007-08-20 05:40:58 · answer #6 · answered by civil_av8r 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Who can say?
it once took months for people to sail from Europe to the New World -- once the technology becomes available, I'm sure men fearless enough to brave the depths of space will eventually make the trip to distant stars...
2007-08-20 05:37:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They thought the sound barrier cound't be broken wither.
2007-08-20 05:37:15 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
where do you get the "fact" that the speed of light can't
be surpassed ?
2007-08-20 05:54:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
will be possible
2007-08-20 05:39:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋