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A fusion reactor may be powerful enough to move the ship...but I'm not sure about even approaching light speed. I think I won't live to see such spaceships; but I am sure we will soon see a scalable fusion reactor. We are just past the break-even point but a lot of issues need to be resolved before fusion power can be scaled up to commercial applications as far as power output and stability over much longer timeframes than we can currently achieve.
even if we could get to 10% the speed of light, that would prob be good enough for the solar system.
even if we could get to 10% the speed of light, that would prob be good enough for the solar system.
heck, even 1% would be good!
No argument here...as long as we stay within the Solar System. But for a real interstellar ship we will probably need anti-matter or an artificial singularity as a power source; the distances involved traveling even just our own galaxy are simply too vast unless we learn to warp space and/or time and that will take unbelievable amounts of energy....
No argument here...as long as we stay within the Solar System. But for a real interstellar ship we will probably need anti-matter or an artificial singularity as a power source; the distances involved traveling even just our own galaxy are simply too vast unless we learn to warp space and/or time and that will take unbelievable amounts of energy....
true that!
but i am thinking we could get a stellar ship up and running much quicker.
i bet if we focussed on it, we could prob get it done in the next 30-40 yrs.
It's interesting that it would take an object accelerating at the same rate that the Earth's gravity pulls (1G) would take over 20 years to get close to the speed of light. Of course I can't imagine the energy required to create that constant force even for a small unmanned satellite. Any physics buffs on here know if nuclear fusion is capable of doing this? How about the laser sails idea? Without humans it wouldn't have to decelerate-it could just continue to communicate with us.
The main problem with the laser sail idea (besides the costs of building such a high powered laser) is that the sail would have to be enormous to capture the laser's light scattering as it gets far away. At relativistic speeds a particle of sand in space could cause a huge explosion. There would have to be some kind of force field which wouldn't slow the vessel down. Maybe it could be shaped aero-dynamically (or would that be space-dynamically).
Anyways, without doing any calculations I imagine that humanity could create one of these devices and have it reach the nearest star in 50 years. We'd have to combine our resources and be prepared for a long wait.
I would think that it would have to be built in space, or on the moon. Building a massive ship on a gravity well like the Earth would just be a ridculous matter. It takes incredible energy to launch even a small satelite into orbit, a ship the size of a major city, forget it.
Thats why the first step in my mind, for long term space colonization and exploration begins with sustained colonies on the moon. Mining materials from there, while adding pieces made here, could build a large space ship.
How would it be powered? I have no earthly idea. Fusion could, I guess, but we aren't close to a fusion reactor as of yet.
In theory, if we can open and control worm holes, it could move extremely fast. Thats probably the only feasible mode of space transportation, unless we make progress in cryogenics.
No, I don't think I'll see a ship like those in my lifetime. I hope to see a man on Mars, and a sustained base on the moon.
I read and article not long ago and the worm hole theory is based on the black hole theory and the black hole theory is gone which most people don't know. The black hole actually will crush a ship or anything else that passes thu it.
However I do think we will have huge ships one day in space and you are right they will have to be build on another planet.
I could be wrong on the worm hole being based on the black hole theory it could of been the worm hole is based on the speed of light theory which then it would make sense. Maybe they made a mistake after thinking this over speed of light makes more sense.
I read and article not long ago and the worm hole theory is based on the black hole theory and the black hole theory is gone which most people don't know. The black hole actually will crush a ship or anything else that passes thu it.
However I do think we will have huge ships one day in space and you are right they will have to be build on another planet.
Black hole theory gone?????There is a theory of Dark Stars.....but far from established science; I am not aware of a supplant to black holes since confirmation of a 3 million(minimum) solar mass black hole at our galaxy's center.
There is a theory that if the black hole is rotating....there is a slight chance "you" could survive but your current atomic arrangement would be changed dramatically, like "spaghettification".
Black hole theory gone?????There is a theory of Dark Stars.....but far from established science; I am not aware of a supplant to black holes since confirmation of a 3 million(minimum) solar mass black hole at our galaxy's center.
There is a theory that if the black hole is rotating....there is a slight chance "you" could survive but your current atomic arrangement would be changed dramatically, like "spaghettification".
I think what Starlady might be talking about is the idea that black holes which pull matter in might open somewhere else as white holes spewing matter out. In that sense black holes may be similar to white holes.
I read about one concept suggesting if black holes (especially super massive black holes) behave in such a way, they might actually be propagating new Big Bangs forming new bubble universes, and that our own universe may have originated in such a way, kind of like branches on a tree forming new branches, etc.
However, the difference between a black hole and a worm hole is that a worm hole is thought to be more like tubular tendrils of spacetime of the universe that randomly form and occasionally connect different locations that may open and close like a shortcut in spacetime. I think it would presume that spacetime and the universe is shaped like a curve.
What would be "outside" of the "walls" of a worm hole I suppose would just be hyperspace or quantum foam. As long as you remain inside the tube of a worm hole, you'd still be within the spacetime of the universe. The problem with such an idea is that it also presumes the universe has an edge. That's not likely because even though the universe may be finite, it has no edge. It's just an expansion of space surrounded by hyperspace.
Another view of worm holes might be that they somehow tunnel through the dimensions of the "fabric" of spacetime within the universe. That might partially explain how particles can appear to be in two different places at the same time. Maybe they're actually two different particles that instantly "communicate" by means of a shortcut, thus only appearing to be the same particle? I readily admit it's really hard to wrap my brain around such concepts.
The problem with white holes and worm holes is there's no evidence, apart from theory, that either actually exist. Of course, we're still only scratching at the surface in trying to understand the nature of the universe.
I think what Starlady might be talking about is the idea that black holes which pull matter in might open somewhere else as white holes spewing matter out. In that sense black holes may be similar to white holes.
I read about one concept suggesting if black holes (especially super massive black holes) behave in such a way, they might actually be propagating new Big Bangs forming new bubble universes, and that our own universe may have originated in such a way, kind of like branches on a tree forming new branches, etc.
However, the difference between a black hole and a worm hole is that a worm hole is thought to be more like tubular tendrils of spacetime of the universe that randomly form and occasionally connect different locations that may open and close like a shortcut in spacetime. I think it would presume that spacetime and the universe is shaped like a curve.
What would be "outside" of the "walls" of a worm hole I suppose would just be hyperspace or quantum foam. As long as you remain inside the tube of a worm hole, you'd still be within the spacetime of the universe. The problem with such an idea is that it also presumes the universe has an edge. That's not likely because even though the universe may be finite, it has no edge. It's just an expansion of space surrounded by hyperspace.
Another view of worm holes might be that they somehow tunnel through the dimensions of the "fabric" of spacetime within the universe. That might partially explain how particles can appear to be in two different places at the same time. Maybe they're actually two different particles that instantly "communicate" by means of a shortcut, thus only appearing to be the same particle? I readily admit it's really hard to wrap my brain around such concepts.
The problem with white holes and worm holes is there's no evidence, apart from theory, that either actually exist. Of course, we're still only scratching at the surface in trying to understand the nature of the universe.
Yes, I think they meant wormholes in the context of black holes and the possibility of white holes; as a possible means of transport, but I think even if true and possible...it's a one way ticket...if you survive.
I've often wondered that if white holes exist....why doesn't our universe shrink in at least density or total mass and/or size???
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