From Newsgroup: alt.fan.heinlein

In my opinion, this is a worthwhile read for fans of
science fiction.

Vhttps://www.space.com/entertainment/13-faster-than-light-travel-methods-from-sci-fi-that-leave-einsteins-theory-of-relativity-in-their-space-dust

13 faster-than-light travel methods from sci-fi that leave Einstein's
theory of relativity in their space dust
References
By Richard Edwards published 2 days ago
Cosmic speed limits can be a major inconvenience but they've rarely
stopped science fiction in its tracks.

When it comes to space travel, Albert Einstein's theory of relativity is
a major inconvenience. With the laws of physics (currently) prohibiting faster-than-light travel, velocities are limited to a mere 300,000,000
ms-1. By any Earthbound measure that's very quick indeed, but it'll
still take you 4.2 years to reach our sun's nearest neighbor, Proxima Centauri.

That sort of timeframe clearly isn't conducive to all-action space opera
rCo imagine if the Millennium Falcon had taken a decade to travel from Tatooine to Alderaan in "Star Wars: A New Hope" rCo so sci-fi writers have come up with numerous ingenious ways to jet around the cosmos at quite ludicrous speeds.

We say this with a few caveatsrCa Hollywood tends to assume that
spacecraft have access to limitless sources of energy. And that rCo

Please go to citation to see the list of 13 ways ---










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From Newsgroup: alt.fan.heinlein

On Mar 16, 2025 at 10:59:37rC>AM EDT, "a425couple" <a425couple@hotmail.com> wrote:

When it comes to space travel, Albert Einstein's theory of relativity is
a major inconvenience. With the laws of physics (currently) prohibiting faster-than-light travel, velocities are limited to a mere 300,000,000
ms-1.

Actually, nothing can be *accelerated* beyond the speed of light. That much is certain.

What remains uncertain is traveling faster than light by starting out going faster than light.

Of course, this is completely hypothetical at this point. But also completely unknown. Einstein's equations say nothing on this.
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From Newsgroup: alt.fan.heinlein

a425couple wrote:

In my opinion, this is a worthwhile read for fans of
science fiction.

<https://www.space.com/entertainment/13-faster-than-light-travel-methods-from-sci-fi-that-leave-einsteins-theory-of-relativity-in-their-space-dust>

13 faster-than-light travel methods from sci-fi that leave Einstein's
theory of relativity in their space dust
References
By Richard Edwards published 2 days ago
Cosmic speed limits can be a major inconvenience but they've rarely
stopped science fiction in its tracks.

When it comes to space travel, Albert Einstein's theory of relativity is
a major inconvenience. With the laws of physics (currently) prohibiting faster-than-light travel, velocities are limited to a mere 300,000,000
ms-1. By any Earthbound measure that's very quick indeed, but it'll
still take you 4.2 years to reach our sun's nearest neighbor, Proxima Centauri.

That sort of timeframe clearly isn't conducive to all-action space opera
- imagine if the Millennium Falcon had taken a decade to travel from
Tatooine to Alderaan in "Star Wars: A New Hope" - so sci-fi writers have
come up with numerous ingenious ways to jet around the cosmos at quite ludicrous speeds.

We say this with a few caveats... Hollywood tends to assume that
spacecraft have access to limitless sources of energy. And that -

Please go to citation to see the list of 13 ways ---

1. Warp Drives
2. Hyperspace
3. Wormholes
4. Stargate
5. Jump gates
6. Folding space
7. FTL Drive
8. Spore Drive
9. Gravity Drive (aka going through hell)
10. Infinite Improbability Drive
11. Ludicrous Speed
12. Increase the speed of light
13. Don't bother

It's a serviceable taxonomy. At first blush, the following non-fictional alternative to Neinstein's time-eaten cosmic speed limit seems to fall
into category 9:

Superluminal Electromagnetic and Gravitational Fields
Generated in the Nearfield of Dipole Sources

<https://arxiv.org/pdf/physics/0603240>

Danke,

--
Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

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From Newsgroup: alt.fan.heinlein

On Sun, 16 Mar 2025 16:12:36 +0000, Tyrone <none@none.none> wrote:

On Mar 16, 2025 at 10:59:37?AM EDT, "a425couple" <a425couple@hotmail.com> >wrote:

When it comes to space travel, Albert Einstein's theory of relativity is
a major inconvenience. With the laws of physics (currently) prohibiting
faster-than-light travel, velocities are limited to a mere 300,000,000
ms-1.

Actually, nothing can be *accelerated* beyond the speed of light. That much is >certain.

What remains uncertain is traveling faster than light by starting out going >faster than light.

That is the "tachyon jump" used in novels in the "Hooded Swan" series
by the excellent story-teller, Brian Stableford.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_Swan also used in other novels
and short stories.

There are *far* more than 13 ways to break the Lightspeed "barrier".
Just to name a few, one can utterly ignore it ("Our speed is an
observed FACT, 'Relativity' is a model, a *theory*" Paraphrased from
Dr. Seaton) as just about everyone does in the "Skylark" series from
Doc. Smith or decide that "inertialess ships" (and, eventually, entire
planets) don't count as "real mass" so aren't Relativistically
challenged as in Doc. Smith's multi-book "Lensman" story.

Or one can simply exit the entire universe and re-enter it at any
time-space co-ordinate of one's choosing, as the TARDIS seems to do
for The Doctor.

There are more ways to cheat Old Albert than there are SF writers.
Some, such as Mr. Stableford, even have multiple FTL cheats in the
same universe - P-shifters and tachyon-jumpers in the Hooded Sawn
world, for example.

Oh, even "Dr. Who" has multiple FTL drives. Most of them aren't named
nor described but simply assumed to "just work" ("Mac Drives"?). The
TARDIS is not, technically a starship with an FTL drive but it does
the same trick by cheating.

Of course, this is completely hypothetical at this point. But also completely >unknown. Einstein's equations say nothing on this.

Accelerating to .99999999 C then jumping to 1.000001 C, then speeding
up by "slowing down" when your ship and contents are converted into
the square-root-of-minus-one mass, thus avoiding all of the infinities
at the asymptote of the curve on both sides of the "barrier" at
exactly Lightspeed, is a damned neat idea but it relies on one littley
issue: that tachyons are real and not a figment of the mathematics as phlogiston was.

This has never been shown to be true and there is endless evidence
that it isn't. Negative evidence, evidence of their absence, mostly,
but still evidence. There is, apart from two curves on an acceleration
graph, about the same evidence for the existence of tachyons as there
is for ghosts, ghouls, goblins, vampires and the Fae.

Still, it's a cool trick.

If only it were real.

If only *any* FTL drive were real. :)

Sadly, the lack of any positive evidence for them, the lack of any
coherent theory allowing them to exist and the problem that we really
have no clue as to where to start building one is disheartening.

It looks like I won't *ever* get my Starship.

J.


Note: Bugger! I need to get out more. :)
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