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A light year is just a simple way of measuring distance in the universe . 1 light year is approximately 5.8 trillion miles so instead of writing the nearest galaxy is 146,000,000,000,000,000 miles, it's a lot easier to write 25,000 light years.Because we use those measurements in our frame of reference. We are people, not photons.
I think we will be relying on science fiction to travel to galaxies for a long, long time. I also think generational ships will remain pure science fiction. The idea that our best and most capable people are going to give up everything to take their families and their families on a trip to nowhere with only the hope that some time in the distance future their descendants might land on a planet that most probably will not be better than the earth.When we use our new amazing telescopes to see images of objects which are 200 million light years away, we are seeing those objects as they appeared 200 million years ago.
Light takes that long from that distance to get here.
If we could get our actual human bodies not space craft capable of theoretical faster than light speed (despite the problems of all that mass), it would take us a bit more than 200 million years to get there.
That’s why sci fi authors try to extrapolate such concepts as “warp” fields and “quantum” travel. But unless we can do something like that at some point, we are going to have to rely on generational space craft. And that’s about of generations.
Oh, and the fuel and propellants are also of some concern.
The notion has lots of problems.I think we will be relying on science fiction to travel to galaxies for a long, long time. I also think generational ships will remain pure science fiction. The idea that our best and most capable people are going to give up everything to take their families and their families on a trip to nowhere with only the hope that some time in the distance future their descendants might land on a planet that most probably will not be better than the earth.
I think it is possible that someday the earth will go so far downhill, environmentally, socially, and economically that large numbers of people will want to leave believing that the alternative to earth has got to be better.The notion has lots of problems.
I agree.
Generation spaceships/starships will likely evolve out of large colony habitats orbiting Earth. Such have been contemplated as more economical way to support large scale construction projects such as a ring of orbital solar power satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Working along with colonies on the Moon where most of the mining and manufacture might be.When we use our new amazing telescopes to see images of objects which are 200 million light years away, we are seeing those objects as they appeared 200 million years ago.
Light takes that long from that distance to get here.
If we could get our actual human bodies not space craft capable of theoretical faster than light speed (despite the problems of all that mass), it would take us a bit more than 200 million years to get there.
That’s why sci fi authors try to extrapolate such concepts as “warp” fields and “quantum” travel. But unless we can do something like that at some point, we are going to have to rely on generational space craft. And that’s about of generations.
Oh, and the fuel and propellants are also of some concern.