Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

Buy Site Supporter Role (remove some ads) | LPF Donations

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery | Browser Hide by Avery

Space Discussion Thread






Re: Interstellar Space Travel

Yes he does Vortish ,
It's Friday night and this is all he has, a pitiful little man on point to insult. I guess masterbation has gotten old
Danny
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

Did you know there are more stars then grains of sand on Earth?

It's very possible some distant planet away is having this exact same conversation on their version on LPF :yh:

-Alex
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

Yes he does Vortish ,
It's Friday night and this is all he has, a pitiful little man on point to insult. I guess masterbation has gotten old


I guess I was just putting information about laser drives as far as space flight is concerned. I been ripped apart for not backing up my statements before so I am just providing information that backs up what i am saying
 
Last edited:
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

White Sands Missile Range... :whistle:

The experimentation with FELs there is mainly focused on lower wavelength missile defense systems and not necessarily propulsion. The developments are definitely applicable if there's any serious groundbreaking though.

NM's space stuff is very slow with its developments though. Wouldn't hold my breath for a laser spaceport, but it may very well be the first US state to have something similar. Then again, Spaceport America has been pretty stagnant for years after its construction.
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

"I sit around and watch the phone but no one's calling. Call me pathetic call me what you will. My mother says to get a job, cuz she don't like the one she's got. When masturbation's lost it's fun you're f**king lonely!

- Green Day feat. LaserTaco
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

I think that if all technical hurdles could be overcome, the main problem is that interstellar travel would be a one way trip.

Lets say we could build a spaceship that accelerates at 1g (or a bit more) up to >99%c and also decellerates when the target is reached, what would that actually do?

Due to relativistic effects i could take that spaceship, fly to a nearby star, and arrive there very much alive. I could take some pictures, make some videos, chat with the locals if there are any, and then fly that same craft back to earth.

And there comes the problem: for me this journey was not -that- long, maybe a few weeks, months or even years in either direction. But everyone i knew on earth would be death, burried and plowed over.

Travelling say 25 light years at 99.99%c would not be a problem for me to survive, but even disregarding time to increase and reduce speed, it would be at least 50 years before i returned. Practically it would probably be more like a century, basically leaving when vacuum tubes were just becoming common components, returning when everyone has a phone that contains the equivalent of a billion of them in their pockets.

Without faster than light travel, interstellar travel is probably not worth the effort. Perhaps lightspeed is the true limit, which would explain the lack of visitors to a planet like earh that has nothing interesting to offer if you cannot return in within decades.
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

*Significantly faster than light travel is the limiting factor. Even at light speed, travel would not be very practical.

Reminds me of the forever war, among others.
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

It seems like until we develop faster than light-speed technology we will be stuck inside our solar system. Not that there's anything wrong with that, plenty of interesting things to see & do here :yh:

Also, just watched a documentary where the US plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030's. Anyone else think that might be possible??

-Alex
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

A manned mars mission is inevitable, but IMO foolish. I would much rather see for the time being, greater exploration take place with regards to the moon, which is far more in reach.

My perspective may be somewhat off, having just watched The Martian this weekend :p I refuse to believe that with being able to take at least some personal belongings a guy wouldn't bring several gigs of music at least.

Edit: http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/...discrimination-well-never-able-colonize-mars/ :crackup:
 
Last edited:
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

It seems like until we develop faster than light-speed technology we will be stuck inside our solar system. Not that there's anything wrong with that, plenty of interesting things to see & do here :yh:

Also, just watched a documentary where the US plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030's. Anyone else think that might be possible??

-Alex
Yeah, we have lots of productive things to do right here in our own system.

Short term:
We need to start mining asteroids for rare metals.
Establish a moon base possibly.
Send missions to mars.(this SHOULD be possible, but we'd need to quit spending so much on the military to fund it)
Look for life on Europa and other interesting moons of saturn and jupiter.
Construct some kind of space elevator if possible.

In the far future:
We have two planets that could potentially be terraformed into something habitable in mars and venus. Even if our society is never able to reach for other stars, there's no shortage of work to be done around our own.
 
Last edited:
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

It seems like until we develop faster than light-speed technology we will be stuck inside our solar system. Not that there's anything wrong with that, plenty of interesting things to see & do here :yh:

Also, just watched a documentary where the US plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030's. Anyone else think that might be possible??

-Alex

I think we could already put together the technology to send people to Mars. I think it's just way too big and expensive a project. Sending an unmanned probe is easy, sending people is completely different. I also expect it will be a one way trip and they will establish a small colony there.

Alan
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

I think we could already put together the technology to send people to Mars. I think it's just way too big and expensive a project. Sending an unmanned probe is easy, sending people is completely different. I also expect it will be a one way trip and they will establish a small colony there.

Alan

The Mars One people planning to do the one-way trip are crazy and/or amazing. There are so many health problems we still can't come close to mitigating for a few months on Mars, and they're going indefinitely.

I agree that we've totally got the tech to pull something like that off though. Really just a matter of money. With well over $10 billion, it could probably happen in 2018.
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

On the one hand I think the Mars One proposal is amazing, and hope it succeeds, and teaches us a great deal about what to expect.

On the other, it has the potential to set back space travel by decades if it fails, and a colonization of mars, even limited, with support, is very risky.

The biggest problem currently is still the astounding cost and complexity of getting stuff out of earth's orbit, or at least to a high orbit, and unfortunately it takes a lot to keep a human being alive.

I would rather see more effort go to a moon base, as a staging area. A space elevator would be amazing, but material science isn't quite there yet.
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

The Mars One people planning to do the one-way trip are crazy and/or amazing. There are so many health problems we still can't come close to mitigating for a few months on Mars, and they're going indefinitely.

I agree that we've totally got the tech to pull something like that off though. Really just a matter of money. With well over $10 billion, it could probably happen in 2018.

The first Apollo moon mission cost more than that, and that was in 1960's dollars. I am guessing more like half a trillion in today's dollars would get it done.

I do think a moon colony is a good idea, there's probaly stuff we can mine there, it might be possible to make it pay for itself.

Alan
 
Re: Interstellar Space Travel

A mission to any solar system object means no more bathing, dehydrated meals, crapping in your space suit etc. A lifetime of such doesnt sound as romantic as the rest. I wonder if volunteers for one way missions are considering everything involved
 





Back
Top