Is Speed of Light Human Travel Possible?

[TheDestinatus]

No we won't. Cold fusion was a clever idea that sought to find a scientific loophole in the heat and pressure requirement to get a fusion reaction going. Unsurprisingly it didn't work out.

Not according to lockheed martin, we're getting these by 2024. Working prototype by 2019.

[namecraft]

my internet data goes almost speed of light when I skype

[Deleted]

I'm not convinced, I have a feeling your specifically referring to topology/analysis which isn't really my field. Maybe physicists are much more hand-wavey with their infinities.

Hey, you are the one that started with maths, so that was my topology point on that. And as far as I know Topology is the only mathematical field that allows for infinity without a limit consideration. Also the point about associativity of multiplication still stands.

[DSRilk]

First, thinking flight is impossible is not the same thing as thinking it is impossible to move mass at the speed of light. The first was based on a belief, the second is based on math. Second, here's the math: E = . If the velocity of a mass hits the speed of light, the energy required literally becomes infinite. It's not a matter of "enough energy" - it's "infinite energy." Third, slowing the speed of light is not the same thing as changing C (referred to as the speed of light). C is a constant. It is the speed limit for electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum (the same place in which a meter is defined as a meter). The fact that a particle of light is slowed has no impact on C. Because of this, it is impossible for us to move mass at the speed of light; not because we haven't figured out how, but because the math shows us the limitation.

Is it possible we might discover that our understanding is flawed in the same way that Newton's was? Sure, though the conditions that allowed us to move beyond Newton aren't exactly present at this point, but science is always open to new discoveries. Is it possible for us to move our bodies from one location to another faster than light could travel there? That's a different question. I still find it unlikely without redefining what it means to be an individual (e.g. is an atomically recreated me still me?). As others have said though, C is pretty darn slow in terms of universal distance. We're going to have to shoot for repositioning of objects well above that rate if we want to actually get anywhere in any humanly reasonable period of time.

[Ghostpanther]

Would have no practical application, other than within our own planetary system. The aftereffects of such a speed by a solid object would be devastating to humans. Even if we could reach the speed of light for our space ships, it is still a snail pace speed for intergalactic travel. So if we think we can quickly cross the galaxy by a faster than speed of light method, then one must accept we are being visited by aliens. :P

[HumbleDuck]

Your entire statement makes no sense. There is no definition of speed that is particular to GR, I don't actually think I've heard or used the word once in my GR course.

Then you should probably take that course again. Maybe some course in logic as well.( even linear algebra should do the trick)

The geometry in which GR is defined is a very specific one. speed is defined based on the geometry hence its specific to the theory you work with ( as is with every other definition in every other logical structure). Sure you can have higher speeds if you are not bound to one membrane, or if the geometry/ physical constants of the one you live on allows it or even if you operate on a "Newtonian membrane"
My statement was very clear, if the OP is arguing within the structure of GR, no it's not possible.

[Deleted]

Then you should probably take that course again. Maybe some course in logic as well.( even linear algebra should do the trick)

The geometry in which GR is defined is a very specific one. speed is defined based on the geometry hence its specific to the theory you work with ( as is with every other definition in every other logical structure). Sure you can have higher speeds if you are not bound to one membrane, or if the geometry/ physical constants of the one you live on allows it or even if you operate on a "Newtonian membrane"
My statement was very clear, if the OP is arguing within the structure of GR, no it's not possible.

Lol m8. So what 'speed' are you on about? The covariant velocity? You sound like you know nothing of GR and are just quoting some buzzwords.

[Raelbo]

Not according to lockheed martin, we're getting these by 2024. Working prototype by 2019.

They're not working on a cold fusion reactor, they're working on a compact fusion reactor. Temperatures inside the reactor are still expected to reach many millions of degrees.

[HumbleDuck]

Lol m8. So what 'speed' are you on about? The covariant velocity? You sound like you know nothing of GR and are just quoting some buzzwords.

If you don't get what I just said, I'm sorry but Im not here to teach you about hep. If you are interested, you can take a look for yourself.

[Deleted]

If you don't get what I just said, I'm sorry but Im not here to teach you about hep. If you are interested, you can take a look for yourself.

I know enough thanks, but if you cant helpfully convey information its exactly the same as you not knowing about whatever it is you tried to say.

[Gaaz]

Not necessarily, nothing is travelling under quantum entanglement. All the EPR paradox shows is that quantum mechanics isn't a complete theory, entanglement shows we don't understand what's going on/wave functions of particles aren't the whole story. By all means, if you can prove entanglement shows data transmission faster than c, go get that nobel prize.

Quantum effects really don't prove that. Entanglement can effect changes faster than light. However, it's impossible to distinguish those effects from randomness in less time than it would take light to travel from A to B.

You are contradicting yourself. Something can hypothetically correlate with something else faster than the speed of light would allow. That leaves room for doubt. Hence - we are not 100% on the whole "c" is the limit. There are also other theoretical works that we can not replicate yet with our technology, but that are sound mathematically, like Scharnhorst effect, which allows a photon to travel faster than the "c" constant. Same goes for quantum tunneling.
All I am saying is that there is room for doubt in both: "c" as a numerical value that we know of (it might be larger), and that there might be conditions when other particles can travel faster than photons.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

Current understanding of physics makes it unlikely. But we aren't even close to understand everything in the universe. So.. who knows..

Hopefully an easier way to travel though space than straight lines and super speeds. Would do us a lot better than the latter. I mean even the speed of like is like 4.5 years to our nearest star. So like 9 years round trip. Not to many trips in a persons life and thats just one star away.

[Rudkobing]

It seems like faster than light speed is a better option since light speed distorts time.

[d00mGuArD]

Speed of thought
You think of a place and you are there Even 100light years away become instant travel

[SirCowdog]

I've only skipped from page 1 to page 7 of this thread. And I'm seeing a lot of discussion about moving MASS up to, or past, the speed of light. But what if we took another approach, and instead moved information faster than the speed of light?

IIRC there was a chinese or japanese science team that successfully destroyed a photon in one location, then re-created it another, distant location. This effectively bypassed the speed of light barrier for that photon. I'm no quantum physicist, but this seems like it would be applicable for the transfer of information at faster than light speeds. All we need to do is figure out how to copy a person's personality into raw data, then transfer it that way.

Granted, that's sort of into the realm of science fiction, but it seems like it MIGHT be possible via 3D printers and human-like robotic bodies. The main limitation being that you'd need to have an already established way to receive information wherever you'd want to go.

[Magical Mudcrab]

That's why scientists increased the speed of light in 2208.

Ah yes, that is the most elegant solution to getting around relativity.

[whywhatwhowhenhow]

Ofcourse it is. You never seen Star Trek?

What? Star Trek is real!

[Elim Garak]

Speed of thought
You think of a place and you are there Even 100light years away become instant travel

You cannot think of a real place if you've never been to it. No, pictures also need to be made at the place, so again someone has to be there to take the picture.

[Deleted]

I've only skipped from page 1 to page 7 of this thread. And I'm seeing a lot of discussion about moving MASS up to, or past, the speed of light. But what if we took another approach, and instead moved information faster than the speed of light?

IIRC there was a chinese or japanese science team that successfully destroyed a photon in one location, then re-created it another, distant location. This effectively bypassed the speed of light barrier for that photon. I'm no quantum physicist, but this seems like it would be applicable for the transfer of information at faster than light speeds. All we need to do is figure out how to copy a person's personality into raw data, then transfer it that way.

Granted, that's sort of into the realm of science fiction, but it seems like it MIGHT be possible via 3D printers and human-like robotic bodies. The main limitation being that you'd need to have an already established way to receive information wherever you'd want to go.

Not sure what experiment you are referring to, but usually those things are done using quantum entanglement (sometimes called quantum teleportation). And those still require the conventional sending of one photon to convey information that you couldn't get back from the original photon for reasons of the uncertainty principle.

These things are highly interesting, because with this two mode way of communication, you would be pretty safe against people trying to listen in, but they are not circumventing the speed of light limit.

[Thoughtcrime]

Light, or near light speed is plenty fast enough for humans to colonise the entire galaxy in under 100,000 years (ship time) due to time dilation. This might seem like a long time but bearing in mind that it took humans over 60,000 years to migrate around the Earth it really isn't.

Millions of years would pass on Earth in this time but when the future of the human race is at stake it wouldn't be a concern. It wouldn't be any meaningful kind of interstellar civilisation as colonies would be completely isolated from one another and would need to act and survive independently.