Space travel has been something I've dreamed about for all my life. I've looked at all aspect (Not knowing quite what all I need to know.) But generally, if you really want to get out of earth's orbit cost effective, the elevator would be the best option. But unless someone just accidenly stumbles on gravity generation systems, some type of propellant is a must. Any type of interstellar propulsion system real or fictional all has one limitation, don't use it in the atmosphere, it will screw us up more than we can possibly imagine, or just simply won't work.
I'm still set in my mind that creating a type of wormhole is the best option of interstellar travel because in the theories about light travel if I'm remembering right, if we had inertal damphers, we still don't have the power capabilites to produce enough power for even warp 1. But creating a wormhole, using space's natural energy of balance to force a ship though a wormhole and it disappears after it balances out would be a more energy effective system. You would only need the energy to keep it from collapsing on you, not to move.
The now defunct show Virtuality showed one method of using nukes to travel to another solar system.
I think once we break the barrier of understanding the deep quantum and string physics (IE make a single pole magnet would be a huge step in the right direction) space travel would be more of a possibily.
Now food and oxygen creation is still a bad problem for space travel. We've made leaps for this on earth, not thinking of how it applies to space. But the biggest problem is space. It still requires tremendous amounts of space to create enough oxygen and food just for a small crew. And leave very little room for an alternate way to create what's needed in emergencies (IE the oxygen atrium gets struck by an asteroid).
Another problem like someone else said is our frail bodies. After a year or more, our bone density deminshes so much that earth gravity would pratically crush a person. The only solution is gravity rings. But thoes require again lots of space, unrelpaceable parts if something should go wrong.
And another thing that really henders about going to space is... your engine dies completly. You can't fix it. The time it would take to build a craft capable of just rescue someone people consider too much to reason out. When you go out. Your stuck. And in most cases, your considered expendable.
I also agree with who ever said that the government's bickering over who is the best and not sharing is one of our biggest drawbacks of why space travel design has virtually stopped.
I hope one day I will see space. It's the only thing that keeps me going anymore. And I hope something I do will help that.
The spark is gone. Where is the excitement? They've managed what no one else could, make space exploration boring.
Where are the flying cars? Right now we have plane-cars which is not the same as flying cars.
I'm so disappointed. It says something about human space exploration when astronomy becomes more exciting than riding rockets into space.
Imagine if transatlantic aviation still worked like space travel to the moon will work in years from now. You'd take off in a tri-plane to fly to a Zeppelin and dock with it, then cross the Atlantic with the airship and dock at Lakehurst Naval Air Station and burst into flames (1937). What the stuff???
I'm so very disappointed. :( It feels like we are regressing... where's the innovation?
It's like going to any supermarket to buy some milk and all you get at the entrance is a stool and a bucket to go sit underneath a cow. I mean, come on! And some wonder why people think the lunar landings are fake?
I guess what's missing is the competition of the cold war. There is no motivation to excel, to go beyond the average effort. Nobody cares anymore.
No no no, just no. It's greed, sex and cynicism in no particular order. Gravity existed long before we arrived. It's got nothing to do with us, or why we envy our neighbor's stuff. :D
[QUOTE=Stingray;183366]As far as I can tell, the new constellation system does not require any docking in space.[/QUOTE]
As far as the constellation system is concerned, [URL="http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html"]it's been canceled in the FY 2011 budget.[/URL] (As can be read in Administrator Bolden's Statement, 2nd PDF document.) :(
The Shuttle flights will end in September of this year. After that anyone who wants to fly to the ISS will need to hitch a ride inside a Soyuz pocket rocket.
That's the kind of news that must be upsetting a lot of people. Look at all the effort and money put into building stuff that will end up not getting used after all.
Comments
I'm still set in my mind that creating a type of wormhole is the best option of interstellar travel because in the theories about light travel if I'm remembering right, if we had inertal damphers, we still don't have the power capabilites to produce enough power for even warp 1. But creating a wormhole, using space's natural energy of balance to force a ship though a wormhole and it disappears after it balances out would be a more energy effective system. You would only need the energy to keep it from collapsing on you, not to move.
The now defunct show Virtuality showed one method of using nukes to travel to another solar system.
I think once we break the barrier of understanding the deep quantum and string physics (IE make a single pole magnet would be a huge step in the right direction) space travel would be more of a possibily.
Now food and oxygen creation is still a bad problem for space travel. We've made leaps for this on earth, not thinking of how it applies to space. But the biggest problem is space. It still requires tremendous amounts of space to create enough oxygen and food just for a small crew. And leave very little room for an alternate way to create what's needed in emergencies (IE the oxygen atrium gets struck by an asteroid).
Another problem like someone else said is our frail bodies. After a year or more, our bone density deminshes so much that earth gravity would pratically crush a person. The only solution is gravity rings. But thoes require again lots of space, unrelpaceable parts if something should go wrong.
And another thing that really henders about going to space is... your engine dies completly. You can't fix it. The time it would take to build a craft capable of just rescue someone people consider too much to reason out. When you go out. Your stuck. And in most cases, your considered expendable.
I also agree with who ever said that the government's bickering over who is the best and not sharing is one of our biggest drawbacks of why space travel design has virtually stopped.
I hope one day I will see space. It's the only thing that keeps me going anymore. And I hope something I do will help that.
Where are the flying cars? Right now we have plane-cars which is not the same as flying cars.
I'm so disappointed. It says something about human space exploration when astronomy becomes more exciting than riding rockets into space.
Imagine if transatlantic aviation still worked like space travel to the moon will work in years from now. You'd take off in a tri-plane to fly to a Zeppelin and dock with it, then cross the Atlantic with the airship and dock at Lakehurst Naval Air Station and burst into flames (1937). What the stuff???
I'm so very disappointed. :( It feels like we are regressing... where's the innovation?
It's like going to any supermarket to buy some milk and all you get at the entrance is a stool and a bucket to go sit underneath a cow. I mean, come on! And some wonder why people think the lunar landings are fake?
I guess what's missing is the competition of the cold war. There is no motivation to excel, to go beyond the average effort. Nobody cares anymore.
So disappointing...
(That and boobs... I mean, why do you think we even walk upright?)
[SIZE="1"]Man that was weak...[/SIZE]
Thank you for playing, better luck next time. :D
I believe gravity is actually what pulled us from trees. :P
As far as the constellation system is concerned, [URL="http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html"]it's been canceled in the FY 2011 budget.[/URL] (As can be read in Administrator Bolden's Statement, 2nd PDF document.) :(
The Shuttle flights will end in September of this year. After that anyone who wants to fly to the ISS will need to hitch a ride inside a Soyuz pocket rocket.
That's the kind of news that must be upsetting a lot of people. Look at all the effort and money put into building stuff that will end up not getting used after all.