Ever since 1966, when the first episode of Star Trek aired, there has been a question lingering in the mind of humans; fans, children, and scientists alike. To some, it is just wishful fantasizing, but to others, it is a goal to pursue and an idea that may not be so far-fetched -- Is it possible for humans to travel at the speed of light? If so, why should humans attempt this and will they? If not, what are some of the limitations of travel at the speed of light and are researchers trying to resolve them? The possibility of light speed travel has gained the attention of researchers and brought the question to mind of how long it will be before people will be speeding between galaxies at light speed like Han Solo and Chewy.
Is this being attempted?
The possibility of travel at light speed has caught the mind of many researchers; however, any possibility disappears without someone with a reason to research and make light-travel a usable form of space travel. That brings up the question; is travel at light speed being researched and attempted? Before it will be attempted, it has to be determined whether it is worth it or not – not only if it could happen, but if it should happen. Thus, emerges a conflict of interests between the benefits and consequences of travel at the speed of light.
Benefits
The benefits of travel at light speed would be breathtaking. Light-travel becoming a reality would be a colossal leap forward for humanity and would introduce a plethora of whole new discoveries and knowledge. With one single scientific breakthrough, astronauts would be able to travel to Pluto in about 4 hours; half the time it took for the fastest trip to the moon yet, an eight and a half hour trip made by NASA’s “New Horizons” un-man...
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...in the foreseeable future. The physics just isn’t known yet.” It looks like astronauts won’t be cruising between galaxies at the speed of light like Captain Kirk any time soon, but that doesn’t mean it will never happen. It’s safe to say that any idea of a successful faster-than-light mission is just wishful thinking and totally impossible, but that’s only for now. It is possible to get the shuttle and crew up to the speed of light, but there are just too many problems and risks for travel at the speed of light to become a reality; time paradoxes, lack of technology and funding, and fear of wars over power all stand in the way of the progress of this new form of travel, but the incredible scientific benefits for mankind will find a way. It will certainly be a while before humans actually travel at the speed of light, but it is possible according to modern physics.
Eberhart, Jonathan. “Space Race Pace Quickens” The Science News-Letter (1965): 387, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3948639 (accessed April 16, 2014). (Primary Source)
INTRODUCTION Attention-getter: “Space travel benefits us here on Earth. And we ain’t stopped yet. There’s more exploration to come.” (Nichelle Nichols from Star Trek) Credibility: Throughout our childhood as we study space, solar systems, planets we all come to a point of having the dream of exploring the space or learn more about it in the future.
home and travel to a distant world, wasting years through the theory of relativity and
Greene continues with his explanations of the special theory of relativity.Chapter 3: Of Warps and Ripples Green begins the chapter by describing "Newton's View of Gravity" and continues by discussing the incompatibility of Newtonian Gravity and Special Relativity. The author also talks about how Einstein discovered the link between acceleration and the warping of space and time. Greene also discuses the basic aspects of General Relativity. He later points out how the two theories of relativity effect black holes, the big bang, and the expansion of space.Chapter 4: Microscopic Weirdness This chapter describes, in detail, the workings of quantum mechanics.
Faster space travel is needed to make any new deep-space discoveries. There really are cost-effective options for space travel.
A hundred years ago, a young married couple sat at a kitchen table talking over the items of the day while their young boy sat listening earnestly. He had heard the debate every night, and while there were no raised voices, their discussion was intense. It was a subject about which his parents were most passionate - the electrodynamics of moving bodies in the universe. The couple were of equal intelligence and fortitude, working together on a theory that few people can comprehend even to this day. Mileva Maric Einstein was considered to be the intellectual equal of her husband Albert, but somehow went unrecognized for her contributions to the 1905 Papers, which included the Special Theory of Relativity. The stronger force of these two bodies would be propelled into the archives of scientific history, while the other would be left to die alone, virtually unknown. Mrs. Einstein was robbed. She deserved to be recognized for at least a collaborative effort, but it was not to be. The role which society had accorded her and plain, bad luck would prove to be responsible for the life of this great mathematician and scientist, gone unnoticed.
as the shuttle can go up to speeds way over 100miles per hour during a
...Another way to decrease the disturbance over the wings are to move the wings lower than the horizontal stabilizer or visa versa to allow the shock waves moving over each wing to miss each other. Most aircraft today do not have enough fuel to maintain the speed of sound for great distances. Engineers have designed a brand new aircraft known as the F-22, which has the ability to fly an entire mission at supersonic speeds. The speed of light is unattainable by aircraft due to drag. We have no materials that could with stand the heat caused by the friction of the air moving over its body, nor materials strong enough to be able to take the enormous drag. Today there is no thrust capability that would allow for the speed of light. Although aircraft has proved such things as time dilation it is still impossible for an aircraft to travel at 900,000 miles per second.
Not only that, but our population has been growing at an extremely alarming rate. At our current rate, our species may not be able to survive for much longer. This is where space exploration comes in. With the recent discovery of water on Mars, and the finding of Kepler-78b, it is possible that mankind can prolong our existence. The possibility of interstellar travel seems to be an option, or even a necessity, if we wish to continue living.
Throughout the ages, outstanding physicists, to the movies, to some of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, have pondered the idea of time-travel. The thought of actually being able to travel to another time or universe has long since enthralled, enveloped, and overwhelmed some of the greatest minds in the history of physics. No one person can actually prove any of their theories, but a few actually make sense. Meaning that they do not violate the laws of physics. One of the main theories suggested, are wormholes. Wormholes are considered to connect two regions of flat space-time, two universes, or two parts of the same universe. There is a lot of theoretical evidence that wormholes exist, with an equal amount of evidence that they do not exist. However, no matter what one’s belief is, the existence of wormholes still makes you wonder…
In short, the quickest, most efficient way to explore space would be to manufacture and launch space robots into orbit. The create so many opportunities for scientific discoveries, creations of careers, and a few steps closer to finding out how the universe and everything in it came to be. So are we really just a group of children and the cosmos are a rough neighborhood? The only way to find out is through discovery, and I know I'm going to brave that rough neighborhood.
A second invention I believe may come to pass in the future whether near or far is a transportation system something similar to the one used in the old show Star Trek. It is a proven fact that peopl...
Scientist has come to a conclusion that time travel could be possible because of the new modern physics laws. One theory is that wormholes are a short passage through space-time for long journeys. In 1935, Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen came up the theory of general relatively in which they discover the bridges or wormholes through space-time. In an article, it says, “A wormhole would allow a ship, for instance, to travel from one point to another faster than the speed of light — sort of...
The act of time travel assumes that we can travel time at a rate different when compared to the normal world. There are several theories on how one could travel through time physically even if the methods wouldn’t make a lot of sense logically. These methods range from altered movement in regular space to the abuse of certain cosmic phenomena which may or may not exist. In this paper I will argue that the physical possibility of time travel is sound and therefore possible even if only theoretically.
Space has always been a pivotal and utmost important subject for many years. In the past, scientists have made monumental advances in this field such as sending people into orbit and landing a man on the moon. Of course, this has only barely been explored and we still have a lot more to see of the ever-vast outer space. One of the most significant topics of all of science has only been touched and there’s still more to come.