If Mankind discovered FTL travel

The diplomat · June 4, 2003, 15:39

Here is another little hypothetical:

If mankind discovered faster-than-light travel, like "warp drive", what effect would that have on humanity?

Obviously, FTL would make colonization of the solar system a lot easier. And it would make exploration beyond our solar system, a lot more possible. What would that do to humanity? Would it improve humanity, or would we just take our problems with us into space? Would it change our philosophy of life?

GePap · June 4, 2003, 15:44

hmmm..depends when it was discovered.

I think the effects would first be political. If it was horribly expensive then a few nations would hav a monopoly on space colonization, which would be troublesome. If it was cheap, it might lead to a free for all.

In short, unlike what Pravin lal says, a change in our possible top speed would not really change mankind too much.Only if we found somehting very interesting out there would it change.

Cruddy · June 4, 2003, 15:50

Very little without cheap transportation to and from orbit.

It WOULD mean we could launch unmanned probes to explore nearby starsystems - but I can't see it being a colonization issue for another 50-100 years.

We can't even produce enclosed envionments on earth, let alone space. Being in space for even a few months has a drastic effect on the human condition.

We'll have to learn to crawl before we can walk or run.

Az · June 4, 2003, 16:00

Travel is only one obstacle facing future space exploration.

I, actually, don't see a problem with only a few nations being able to have this technology.

The diplomat · June 4, 2003, 16:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Cruddy
Very little without cheap transportation to and from orbit.

It WOULD mean we could launch unmanned probes to explore nearby starsystems - but I can't see it being a colonization issue for another 50-100 years.

We can't even produce enclosed envionments on earth, let alone space. Being in space for even a few months has a drastic effect on the human condition.

We'll have to learn to crawl before we can walk or run.

The changes would probably be gradual and take time. But there would be social/political and technological consequences to discovering FTL travel. I am just trying to figure out what they would be!

It would take time, but FTL would eventually lead to colonization of the solar system. Would colonization of Mars make environmental concerns on Earth less important? Once colonization of Mars becomes possible, and people can move there, will we become less concerned about population growth on Earth?

Solly · June 4, 2003, 16:53

So long as it was only benevolent nations (US, Britain, Spain) who have the technology, I wouldn't mind.

Not that it is going to happen, mind you.

loinburger · June 4, 2003, 17:05

Depends on how much faster than the speed of light we're talking here. If we're talking 190,000 MPH, then hooray for breaking the light barrier, but it'll still take us years to leave the solar system.

That's really the only immediate use I could see for a FTL space drive -- interstellar exploration (unmanned probes, most likely), and probably an increase in stellar exploration as well (now it will take much less time to take pictures of Pluto -- gotta make sure that the Old Ones are still asleep and all...). The technology just isn't there for colonization, particularly since the cost of space travel will still be prohibitive until we develop a cheap and effective means of getting a ship up into orbit.

Solly · June 4, 2003, 17:10

Quote:

Depends on how much faster than the speed of light we're talking here. If we're talking 190,000 MPH, then hooray for breaking the light barrier, but it'll still take us years to leave the solar system.

Even 1mph faster than c and the travellers would arrive before they set off.

DAVOUT · June 4, 2003, 17:20

If overpopulation is under control, which is not an unreasonnable assumption, the only motive for the travel toward the stars is acquiring knowledge. That would not make a lot of change for most of the humans, but a great deal for some.

Tuberski · June 4, 2003, 17:21

By mankind, I'm assuming you mean the human race and not the brain damaged professional wrestler.....

ACK!

Harovan · June 4, 2003, 18:53

Quote:

Originally posted by loinburger
Depends on how much faster than the speed of light we're talking here. If we're talking 190,000 MPH, then hooray for breaking the light barrier, but it'll still take us years to leave the solar system.

The light barrier is indeed at roughly 190,000 miles, just not per hour, but per second.

loinburger · June 4, 2003, 19:01

The 'H' stands for 'seconds.' Honest!

St Leo · June 4, 2003, 19:14

If Mankind discovered FTL travel

Righties would still insist that we must buy weapons first and Lefties would still insist that we must eliminate world hunger first. Moderates like me don't have a voice about these things.

We have the technology to colonize Mars now.

DinoDoc · June 4, 2003, 19:15

Quote:

Originally posted by St Leo
Moderates like me...

Hydey · June 4, 2003, 19:20

Quote:

Originally posted by St Leo

We have the technology to colonize Mars now.

let you be the first

yavoon · June 4, 2003, 19:45

Quote:

Originally posted by Boddington's

Even 1mph faster than c and the travellers would arrive before they set off.

I don't believe there is any reason to believe we can travel backwards in time. if we traveled faster than light in some relatively conventional way than we would be breaking relativity and most likely be working on a different understanding.

St Leo · June 4, 2003, 22:08

let you be the first

We had the technology to colonize Mars thirty years ago. The advancements in minituarization have only made it easier.

Joseph · June 4, 2003, 22:27

Quote:

Originally posted by loinburger
Depends on how much faster than the speed of light we're talking here. If we're talking 190,000 MPH, then hooray for breaking the light barrier, but it'll still take us years to leave the solar system.

You mean 186,000 miles per second.

Cruddy · June 4, 2003, 23:47

Quote:

Originally posted by St Leo
let you be the first

We had the technology to colonize Mars thirty years ago. The advancements in minituarization have only made it easier.

I for one DON'T BELIEVE YOU.

Give us a few links to "Let's colonize Mars now!" links.

Or feel free to give us more hyperbole and I'll start posting the links that indicate we can't.

Up for it????

Urban Ranger · June 4, 2003, 23:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Boddington's
Even 1mph faster than c and the travellers would arrive before they set off.

No they won't. Their arrival on Mars will not before their setting off from Earth.

Ben Kenobi · June 5, 2003, 00:10

From who's perspective?

From the perspective of the Earth nothing will change.

From the perspective of the people on board, I can see lots of funky stuff happen. The people should get younger the longer they stay on board!

Perhaps we should test on monkeys first.

Urban Ranger · June 5, 2003, 00:13

Quote:

Originally posted by obiwan18
The people should get younger the longer they stay on board!

No they won't. They just age slower. Unless, of course, you are positing that time runs backwards for any object moving faster than light.

Urban Ranger · June 5, 2003, 00:18

Of course, we all have been thinking about moving faster than light. We could also reduce the distance to be travelled instead, e.g. wormholes, hyperspace.

DinoDoc · June 5, 2003, 00:20

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Of course, we all have been thinking about moving faster than light. We could also reduce the distance to be travelled instead, e.g. wormholes,

Well that introduces the added complication that you might not end up when you wanted rather than where you wanted.

The Mad Monk · June 5, 2003, 01:00

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

No they won't. They just age slower. Unless, of course, you are positing that time runs backwards for any object moving faster than light.

Of course, if time runs backwards, that means the next thing to happen will be the undoing of the last thing thing to happen -- in this case, the action of moving faster than light.

Of course, since they just be bounced back to the exact time they crossed the light barrier, they will cross it again -- and get bounced back again, etc.

Sounds like a bumpy ride...and a time trap.

Cruddy · June 5, 2003, 01:17

We're going a bit OT here, talking about the mechanics rather than the effect on humanity.

One thing I would see happening is closer cooperation on space efforts. Everyone would want a slice of the eventual colonization pie, with the prospect of mineral rights in the medium term.

I don't think it would slow the arms race as such - but it would add a whole new area for it, which might slow other areas of that race.

Another application I can see is setting up deep space listening and monitoring posts like Hubble, well out of the gravity well of the Sun. Put enough far away enough, run continugous clocks on them and we'd have a radio telescope effectively light years wide!!!

Astrophysicists would go bananas over that - but it would take a long time to set up and years for the raw data to arrive, let alone being analysed.

The Mad Monk · June 5, 2003, 01:20

We probably have the technology to build an interferometer at Earth's LaGrange points now -- expensive, but doable, and pretty damn wide.

Urban Ranger · June 5, 2003, 01:46

Quote:

Originally posted by Cruddy
Another application I can see is setting up deep space listening and monitoring posts like Hubble, well out of the gravity well of the Sun. Put enough far away enough, run continugous clocks on them and we'd have a radio telescope effectively light years wide!!!

You could never be completely out of the Sun's gravity well. The effect just drops as you get further away. What is the point of building a radio telescope out there?

yavoon · June 5, 2003, 01:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

You could never be completely out of the Sun's gravity well. The effect just drops as you get further away. What is the point of building a radio telescope out there?

in all practical senses u can most definitely be out of the earth's gravitational well. if ur calculator is large enuff u might always get a #, but it would be irrelevant.

Cruddy · June 5, 2003, 02:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

You could never be completely out of the Sun's gravity well. The effect just drops as you get further away. What is the point of building a radio telescope out there?

Building one wouldn't be that sensible - I was talking about a network, linked by a common clock.

It would give a FANTASTICALLY sensitive radio array. If someone made a mobile call from Alioth we'd pick it up. OK, that's an exagerattion, but you get my point - the wider the array, the better the data it produces.

Bear in mind, Urban, that 80% plus of matter is undeteced at the present time. We still have a lot to discover.

Putting such an array outside the solar system - with probes monitoring around a radius of a few hundred AU's or more - means we get less interference from the sun and especially from Planet Earth.