Re: Europe's new Herschel Space Observatory gives great view of "Whirlpool Galaxy"
Posted by Cape_Fear_NC on 6/20/2009, 5:41 pm
Long ago, the human concept of travel was limited by mechanical boundaries. This of course left us Earthbound.

Then, with the invention of rocketry by the Chinese, the human mind was permitted to fantasize travel by chemical means.

Chemical travel opens up the Solar System but our current level of technology is more akin to the wagon trains of times past. New types of engines need be invented before travel becomes practical. I think we can assume human ingenuity will eventually solve the problem. After that, the next project will probably be to terraform Mars.

DIRECT travel within our own galaxy to other stars will not happen with any conceivable technology - simply because of the time variable in the equation. Even with super high speed vehicles, wagon trains would appear effiecent.

Should humanity succeed in the long-term it may ultimately settle on other solar systems but it won't do so en masse, it will do so via small exploratory groups that travel excruciatingly long journeys on gigantic space stations. The groups would populate the new planets one generation at a time.

Traveling to other galaxies will never happen because the time variable is exponentially out of control. Even if one had a 100% efficency hydrogen engine driving one at light-speed it would take untold millions of years to make the trip. And the amount of fuel needed to carry on board would be astronomical! (And besides that, ya can't accelerate a space ship to the speed of light anyway - see; E = Mc2)

Thanks for the article, I love astrophysics.

Tim
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Europe's new Herschel Space Observatory gives great view of "Whirlpool Galaxy" - jack ruby, 6/20/2009, 3:54 pm
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