Instead of going off topic in the "
Intelligence" thread, I started this new one. Quoted below are the last two posts in that thread.
Even if there is intelligent, evolved life elsewhere in the universe, the problem remains that an object with mass cannot travel at the speed of light (Relativity Theory). Thus, under our current Physics paradigm, physical travel between planets that lie at great distances (e.g., hundreds or thousands of light years, for example) is impracticable (IMO).
Not necessarily. My understanding of current thinking in this field is that there are still possibilities - wormholes (that old favourite of folding space and slipping through a place where two folds touch) or some kind of drive that compressed the fabric of space time in front of the craft and expanded it to the back. All we have to do with that is figure out how to generate gravity and stuff
... an object with mass cannot travel at the speed of light ...
How true. According to the equations, mass at the speed of light becomes infinite, and it is believed that it directly converts into energy (radiation) in an instantaneous burst. However, using the same equations, mass can travel at velocities greater than the speed of light and NOT be infinite. In fact, mass begins to work opposite of the way it does as it approaches the speed of light. Once beyond the speed of light, mass is incredibly high, but begins to return to x1 original as one goes much faster than the speed of light. Also see below graph.
Graph of Velocity Effect on MassThe biggest problem is getting through or past the speed of light. It is this fundamental problem that makes superluminal velocities currently impossible. How does one get to superluminal velocities without first going through the light barrier (speed of light)?
A hypothesis I began developing in 1982 was for some form of hypershunt that takes a ship from subluminal to superluminal velocities without any real time passing (true instantaneity). Without any time passing, you cannot have gone at the speed of light. Thus, problem solved. This is NOT the same thing as Warp Drive or the Alcubierre Drive. This Shunt Drive, which I later named Hypershunt Jump Drive in 1985, instantly takes the ship from subluminal to superluminal velocities. Biggest problem is the power needed. Power to Hypershunt or Deshunt, would be tremendous. Once shunted, it would take very little to maintain. It just takes huge amounts to actually shunt, then later deshunt. When deshunting, the vessel has the same subluminal velocity as when it hypershunted. Thus, the reason most ships are at "station-keeping" when they hypershunt. Wouldn't be too pretty if you were going 0.5c when hypershunting, then deshunted at your destination only a 1000km from a space station...
Do the math:
1000km = 1,000,000m
0.5c = 299,792,458 x .5 = 149,896,229m/sec
1,000,000 / 149,896,299 = 0.00667 seconds
I don't think anyone could react that fast to dodge the station.
The problem with drives that work like the Warp/Alcubierre Drives, or on a similar principle, is that they may tend to tear apart the space-time continuum. I had developed this idea back in 1983 while working on the idea of the Hypershunt Jump Drive. I discussed this with my wife (who ran the sci-fi part of our Udavan campaign), and she had the Terran Star Empire (TSE) discover the fact of the Warp Drives weakening and tearing the fabric of the space-time continuum. She also had the TSE give the data of this discovery to the Urgons, Inur, Snekra, and Nebulons. During the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, they discussed this same idea about the Warp Drive weakening the fabric of the space-time continuum. I remember my wife saying, "They stole your idea!" And I told her, no, equally intelligent minds will develop the same ideas. Just not at the same time. Sometimes they do and it becomes a race as to who gets to the patent/copyright office first.
... or some kind of drive that compressed the fabric of space time in front of the craft and expanded it to the back.
You mean like the
Warp Drive from Star Trek or the
Alcubierre Drive? As said above, I have a problem with the possible effects such drives could have on the space-time continuum. They may not have any effect. But then again, they may have drastic effects. I, and my wife, arbitrarily chose to have Warp/Alcubierre type drives cause weakening and tearing of the space-time continuum. You may chose the opposite.
Quantum Nonlocality and Quantum Dislocality offer some interesting possibilities and effects. With quantum nonlocality, as discussed by Robert Defendi in SMP, this kind of drive could be used to make it seem as if the ship were travelling faster than light. In actuality, it is performing a form of "space-folding" technique. Just not true space-folding. More like space contraction.
Quantum Dislocality is actually folding space by putting the ship/object through a dislocation on a quantum level. It offers virtually instantaneous travel between two points of space. However, it is believed that the power just to dislocate a person from one side of the Earth to the other would be equivalent to the output of a star. The Galactic Empire's hypermatter may be an answer for the power problem. In SMP, the Jump Drives and Spatial Folds would be using this technique.
What are some of y'all's ideas?
rmfr