The whole basis for the TV series Star Trek and its' spinoffs, is the idea that faster than light travel is possible. Without that basic premise, all the things surrounding STAR TREK, are unattainable, at least on such a galactic scale.

I would say that such high speed travel is very unlikely. We would have a very hard time, figuring out a way to survive the acceleration, such speeds would require. Of course, a slow steady increase in speed over a long period of time might be possible. But that has its own drawbacks. How would the crew survive? Would they be frozen or put in some kind of stasis? Certainly, such long missions would require many complex solutions. Also, with the way history changes things, it is very likely that the government(s) that sent the ship, would no longer exist. Even if they did exist at the completion of the flight, how would they know it was successful? The need of faster communications, is another problem.

I feel that Star Trek, and all it represents, is just fantasy, and will always remain so. That does not mean that our future is doomed to be boring and confining. But, no matter what the future holds for us, it is essential that the present world undergo some serious changes. If man cannot live in peace and unity on earth, then, even a star-trekless is world is impossible.

While your scientific views are welcome, I would also be interested in any spiritual views you may have on the subject. I invite you to e-mail me. ME!

From: Bill Kocik calc@ismi.net

Gary, I checked out your page (very creative by the way) and I have some answers to your theory on light speed travel. First of all, the acceleration required to obtain the speed would not be all that difficult or even very unusual. This, coupled with the fact that time slows down as you approach light speed would cancel the problem of an aging crew.

However, there is a much more concrete reason why light speed is unnatainable. It's a law of physics called the gamma factor. As you probably know, energy and mass share a curious relationship (they're the same thing!) This means that as you travel at any speed, your mass is greater than that at rest. As you approach the speed of light, any energy you add to yourself or your craft immediately becomes extra mass. This reaches a point where the more energy you add, the more mass you gain in an equal amount. Basically what happens is that you end up fighting yourself! It's like a universal speed limit that cannot be broken by any massive object. The harder your engine pushes, the harder your mass pushes back and they cancel each other out. You're stuck...you can go no faster.

While your here, check out the following stuff!

Star Trek

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