Strange science 😦

[AFTT47]

Nope. Relativistic effects would hardly be noticeable at 20%. Effects aren't obvious until around 50%.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Nope. Relativistic effects would hardly be noticeable at 20%. Effects aren't obvious until around 50%.

Then why do GPS satellites - which travel at much less than 0.1c - require relativistic correction?

Boru

[AFTT47]

Because microseconds count with GPS. Human beings obviously don't notice time scales so tiny. Time would pass about 2% slower at 20% of light speed. It's 15% at 50%. It doesn't get extreme until much higher; it's not linear.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Because microseconds count with GPS. Human beings obviously don't notice time scales so tiny. Time would pass about 2% slower at 20% of light speed. It's 15% at 50%. It doesn't get extreme until much higher; it's not linear.

I bow to your superior knowledge of all things physickle.  👍

Boru

[Paleophyte]

OTOH, collisions with space dust would get much more exciting. Not because of relativity, much, but just because you're going so damned fast that the kinetic energy becomes vast. At those speeds, you're looking at thousands of gigajoules per gram, millions of times more energy than TNT. Just hitting stray hydrogen atoms becomes perilous, and will likely start slowing you down.

[AFTT47]

Yeah, I thought 10% of light speed would be a realistic cap because of this. Apparently not, though. It's definitely an issue but apparently 20% is not unrealistic.

Despite Boru's faith in my 'superior knowledge', I don't have figures for this that I can cite. I can only say that I recall reading a seemingly authoritative article making a case that collisions with space dust could be handled at relativistic speeds. I never had much interest in following it up because I see 10% of light speed as plenty fast enough for interstellar travel. It wouldn't be much fun for biologicals but workable. It wouldn't even be an issue for AI.

[Paleophyte]

The only thing that I've seen is a big damned wipple shield on the bow of the craft.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Yeah, I thought 10% of light speed would be a realistic cap because of this. Apparently not, though. It's definitely an issue but apparently 20% is not unrealistic.

Despite Boru's faith in my 'superior knowledge', I don't have figures for this that I can cite. I can only say that I recall reading a seemingly authoritative article making a case that collisions with space dust could be handled at relativistic speeds. I never had much interest in following it up because I see 10% of light speed as plenty fast enough for interstellar travel. It wouldn't be much fun for biologicals but workable. It wouldn't even be an issue for AI.

AH HA!!

Boru

[AFTT47]

The only thing that I've seen is a big damned wipple shield on the bow of the craft.

It's the fact (or more accurately, the informed opinion) that that would be adequate.

[Fake Messiah]

Mars and back in just 153 days! Scientists have found a shortcut to the Red Planet

With current technology, a one–way trip to Mars would take roughly nine months, covering a distance of around 140 million miles.

That means astronauts on a round–trip to the Red Planet could face up to three years away from home.

But that could soon change, thanks to a new study.

Scientists from the State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro have found a 'shortcut' to Mars.

They've identified a brief window in which astronauts could get to and from Mars in just 153 days – but there's not long to prepare for it.

For missions to Mars, space agencies must factor in a phenomenon known as Mars opposition.

Occurring roughly every 26 months, this happens when Earth passes directly between the sun and Mars.

During the rare alignment, the two planets are on the same side of the sun – bringing Mars to its closest point to us.

In their new study, the team set out to understand whether any of the upcoming Mars oppositions – in 2027, 2029, and 2031 – could offer a shortcut to the Red Planet.

The team focused on 2001 CA21 – an asteroid whose path is predicted to cross the orbits of both Earth and Mars.

According to their calculations, during the Mars opposition in 2031, the asteroid will be on a highly eccentric trajectory with a well–defined sub–ecliptic orbital plane.

Technically, if a spacecraft could stay within five degrees of the asteroid's tilt, it could make a rapid trip to and from Mars at this time.

However, for this to work, the timings would need to be incredibly precise.

Earth departure date: 20 April 2031

Mars arrival date: 23 May 2031

Mars stay: 23 May–22 June (30 days)

Mars departure date: 22 June 2031

Earth arrival date: 20 September 2031

Total mission duration: 153 days

The researchers, led by Marcelo de Oliveira Souza, admit this timeline is 'extreme'.

'Extreme 153–day mission: Minimal time but extremely high energy requirements; suitable primarily for conceptual exploration of theoretical limits,' they explained in their study, published in Acta Astronautica.

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/mar...r-AA225uDk