Intergalactic Method of Transportation?

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by TruthSeeker, Sep 30, 2010.

  1. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Unless advances in biology extend the human lifespan by more than one order of magnitude, or the science-fiction staple of generation starships becomes more feasible than most of us predict, the ships will have to be automated to go anywhere but the very nearest star systems. At 0.1c a trip outside of our immediate neighborhood will take centuries, and traversing the entire galaxy from one side to the other would be a million-year journey.
     
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  3. dhcracker Registered Senior Member

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    Depressing isn't it... I'm holding out that we can send a human to alpha centauri within our generation maybe... heck I can hope anyway right haha.

    I'd like to see some progress made even it its just a probe, I'm still of the opinion we should build the fastest thing we can and send it NOW to the nearest few stars at least. That would be the best thing we could do for the following generations besides making sure they can have jobs and all that good stuff. So we can't spend their retirement on it I guess but hey we could still be doing something!
     
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  5. Skeptical Registered Senior Member

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    dhc

    The fastest probe we have now would take far too long to get to the nearest star outside our system. Voyager I is the fastest man made spacecraft yet, and would take 72,000 years to get to Proxima Centauri.

    While I too, would love to see exploration start, it will not happen during our lifetime, or many lifetimes to come. The best we can hope for is a manned vessel to Mars, and even that is looking less likely.
     
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  7. dhcracker Registered Senior Member

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    There now for those that got bored reading the orion article I moved over the interesting tidbits..

    Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

    I'm with Carl here lets get rid of the nuclear missiles that were build to destroy people and use them to send a probe to another star!
     
  8. AlexG Like nailing Jello to a tree Valued Senior Member

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    It might be worth reminding everyone that the Orion propulsion system was never built, and so has never been tested, or even demonstrated.
     
  9. dhcracker Registered Senior Member

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    1963 ban on nukes in space kind of put a cork on it.. I mean nobody wants to lift off using nukes of course, however I don't see the big deal with an international test of the design built in space.

    Its the whole stigma of nukes, but I like that idea better than leaving them in missile silos pointed at a city near you.

    edit:

    On further thought isn't it silly the only place we are absolutely sure not to set off a nuclear test is in space lol... the brilliant idea of some politician somewhere.
     
  10. ExplorerAtHeart Registered Member

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  11. Skeptical Registered Senior Member

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    EAT

    It is kind of sad that the only wormhole likely to exist in nature would have a diameter less than the diameter of a proton. It is also sad that a man made wormhole would require vast amounts of "negative energy". We do not know if such a thing exists at all, or could exist. Even if it could, to make the required amount would be impossible by any theory known today. Wormhole travel is pure science fiction and likely to remain that way.
     
  12. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    One can't help wondering whether the inhabitants of the rest of the universe aren't breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that we'll never find them.

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  13. dhcracker Registered Senior Member

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    LOL omg that was classic. No wonder we can't find ET they are hiding from us and praying we don't come destroy their planet or infect them with our humanity.
     
  14. Skeptical Registered Senior Member

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    Nah.
    ET is setting up pirate recording studios to listen in to our TV broadcasts, and sell the resulting DVD's as the weirdest and funniest yet.

    Humanity is a comic treasure to the truly civilised aliens.
     

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