Space is truly massive, and aliens aren’t magic. Before the early 2000s, the concept of interstellar travel had only existed in science fiction, occasional science articles, and within gatherings of visionary engineers and scientists from different corners of the globe.
Moreover, the concept of aliens exists in many aspects of our lives, especially in the entertainment realm. For example, many of the highest-grossing blockbusters and best-selling novels have been about the existence of alien life. Likewise, some of the most popular slot games players enjoy with promotions, such as the Verde Casino bonus, usually feature an alien-themed thematic concept.
Well, while many have come up with realistic concepts that might enable the idea of aliens, there has been little evidence to back it up. However, all these changed with the unveiling of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA’s 2010 launch of the 100-Year Starship project. Since then, numerous private and public agencies have embarked on serious research into how to make the journey possible. And while humanity is witnessing real technical progress, numerous hurdles still block the way.
Problems With Interstellar Travel: Current Technologies
The primary daunting challenge of space exploration is related to the context of interstellar distances. This enormity becomes apparent when considering a journey to Proxima Centauri, the closest star to Earth, if not to take into consideration the Sun. This trip is equivalent to traveling to and from Pluto at its farthest orbit 2,667 times. Even light, the universe’s fastest entity, takes 4.24 years to reach Earth from Proxima Centauri. Existing spacecraft technologies, exemplified by Apollo 10’s speed known to be nearly 40,000 km/h, fall short. On average, it’ll take over 115,000 years, an equivalent of 41,975,000 days, to reach Proxima Centauri.
The confined spacecraft environment, lack of selective pressures, and delayed Earth communications hampers adaptation and evolution. In addition, today’s chemical-based rocket fuels have proven inefficient due to their mass-energy equivalence. Clearly, there’s a need to develop more efficient power sources capable of accelerating crafts to much faster speeds than what’s currently possible. Fortunately, ongoing developments and theoretical solutions offer promise for the future.
Solutions to the Problems of Interstellar Travel
Considering the insane interstellar distance, how can we infer from our current knowledge of physics to come up with possible methods to cross the cosmic void? The following possible solutions promise to make interstellar travel a reality:
- Warp Drive;
- Quantum Tunneling;
- Black Hole Travel;
- Wormholes;
- Consciousness Transmission.
Here’s a deeper dive into the mechanics of each of the listed options and how they would work in real-world scenarios.
Warp or Alcubierre Drive
The Warp Drive concept simply entails manipulating space-time to form a protective “bubble” around a spacecraft to achieve speeds surpassing that of light. While this remains a purely theoretical concept with no experimental confirmation, its foundation lies in the equations derived from Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
The Alcubierre Drive has a proposal for such a warp drive system. The concept was introduced by physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994. It envisions a space-time “bubble” that contracts in front of the spacecraft and expands behind it. This mechanism effectively propels the ship forward at a velocity exceeding speeds of sound, light and any other known to science concepts. The propulsion mechanism will leverage a ring of negative energy, manipulating the space-time both in front of and behind the spacecraft.
Quantum Tunneling
Another promising theoretical approach to the concept of interstellar traveling utilizes quantum tunneling to “teleport” a spacecraft between different points in space. The concept relies on quantum mechanics principles, envisioning a process where the spacecraft could “tunnel” through the fabric of space-time. This approach essentially seeks to circumvent the conventional need for propulsion systems.
Black Hole Travel
The concept of theoretical traveling to the stars relies on the immense gravitational pull of a black hole to propel the spacecraft. In this method, a spaceship can fly close to a black hole and use its gravitational force for acceleration. It’ll then fly out using the acquired velocity to surpass the speed of light. The alternative to this approach involves creating an artificial black hole to propel a starship using its powerful gravity alongside Hawking radiation.
It would, however, require a parabolic reflector redirecting the radiation and generating a forward thrust. This approach offers multiple advantages over other methods but surpasses current technological capabilities. Thus, it’s purely theoretical and still poses numerous technical challenges, including creating a stable artificial black hole and converting radiation into usable energy.
Wormholes
Einstein’s general relativity equations propose a theoretical shortcut through space-time known as wormholes. This concept potentially enables rapid spacecraft transit over vast distances. However, the feasibility of creating or sustaining these traversable wormholes is purely speculative and uncertain.
Consciousness Transmission
This final notion entails transmitting minds with light for interstellar travel. The concept envisions advanced technology to scan and record an individual’s brain and send the recorded data as a stream of light to different star systems. It eliminates the need for a physical spacecraft and overcomes the constraints of the human body.
The Consciousness Transmission approach is rooted in the theoretical concept of mind uploading. This process involves transferring consciousness from a biological brain to a non-biological substrate, like a computer. However, like most ideas in this guide, it’s hardly achievable at a current stage of technological advancement, possessing technical and scientific challenges. Preserving the delicate neural structure during scanning and accurately reconstructing the brain’s network in the new substrate is no easy feat.
Marching Forward With Optimism
Our current tech level limits us from making traveling to distant stars a reality. However, the future is promising, as numerous experts are developing practical concepts that could bypass all hurdles limiting space travel.