Results: This is part 4 of measurement standards for distances, depths, speeds etc. that are on a much larger scale than we face in everyday lives. They are so beyond the experiences of the average person that they seem more science fiction than science fact.
Published on 11/29/2024
Such is the scale of our universe that even the fastest speeds we can currently go are insignificant due to the mind blowing scale of the cosmos. We made it to the moon and will probably make it to Mars. Where we go beyond that is open to speculation and debate. Scientists have their bucket list of where they would like to go, but they may have to accept that we humans have almost reached our limits. Here are a few of those limiting factors.
QUESTIONS
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Comments
1.
1.
I never did have "The Right Stuff" (an early space program requirement) and I certainly don't have it now. Going to the moon was never on my bucket list. Since humans have been to the moon several times, Mars has now replaced it on the solar system bucket list for those who hope to have what it takes to get there. Lets assume the technology is safe enough to get us to Mars safely, we have air to breath, food to eat and a comfortable environment on the ship and in the bio-dome on Mars. Mars is doable. Which of the following scientific limitations would have you say "I don't care what the brochure says - I'm not going."
The average time to reach Mars is 7 months with most of the trip coasting with the engines off. The return trip will involve a lengthy stay on Mars until the planets are at their closest orbits again. The round trip may take 2 years unless new forms of propulsion are available and we don't have to coast most of the way. .
23%
476 votes
Our round trip to Mars has to factor where Mars will be in its orbit in 7 months time and where Earth will be when we return to Earth. Even a slight miscalculation in our speed, the orbits of the two planets and the distances we need to travel, could mean Mars or Earth are not where we expect them to be. There is currently no plan B if someone miscalculates - just empty space where our hotel was supposed to be..
26%
540 votes
If we take such a trip, we will have to use texts and or email to keep in touch with the folks back home. Phoning is impractical due to the time delay for the signal between Earth and Mars. Light (radio) is restricted to 186,000 miles per second so the delay in asking a question and receiving an answer can range from 3 to 21 minutes, depending on the positions of the planets.
18%
383 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
21 votes
Not Applicable
57%
1191 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.49% | 7 | |
| All of the above | 0.14% | 2 |
| none. If I was offered a chance to go I wouldn't have to think about it before saying yes. | 0.07% | 1 |
| So many members of Tellwut are complainers! I know a bunch of people are going to be complaining about the amount of reading. There is on the survey It s not that hard if you were intelligent to read a few paragraphs. | 0.07% | 1 |
| I don't want to spend my golden years with Elon Musk | 0.07% | 1 |
| Sign me up. | 0.07% | 1 |
| I'd go! | 0.07% | 1 |
| afraid to fly | 0.07% | 1 |
| At my age, my body would not be able to handle the trip. | 0.07% | 1 |
| You will need a lot of water for the length of time. Only some much can be cycled and purified from their urine | 0.07% | 1 |
| Age and if up for such a trip and what it requires. | 0.07% | 1 |
| WOULD NEVER HAPPEN | 0.07% | 1 |
| The moon landing was fake, why should I believe this? | 0.07% | 1 |
| I am sure there are many calculated blueprints to outer planets and serious learning will be mandatory. | 0.07% | 1 |
2.
2.
Perhaps you would like to take a cruise in outer space on a sailing ship of sorts. Arthur C. Clarke wrote Sunjammer, a short story published in 1964 depicting a yacht race between solar sail spacecraft. The concept of the solar sail dates all the way back to 1610 when comets were observed and studied. Solar sails would use radiation pressure exerted by sunlight. The first spacecraft to make use of the technology was IKAROS, launched in 2010. Here are some aspects of this propulsion method. Which of them might make going on a cruise in space something to consider (for you or someone else)?
Solar sails are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces. This is akin to a sail being blown by the wind. Any light will exert pressure on the surfaces it hits which can be used as propulsion if the surface is big enough and the light is strong enough.
12%
254 votes
High-energy laser beams could be used as an alternative light source to exert much greater force than would be possible using sunlight, a concept known as beam sailing.
11%
235 votes
Solar pressure affects all spacecraft,. A spacecraft going to Mars, for example, will be displaced thousands of kilometers by solar pressure, so the effects must be accounted for in trajectory planning. Solar pressure has been factored in since the time of the earliest interplanetary spacecraft of the 1960s.
12%
244 votes
Even though the force exerted is small, the acceleration is constant. The eventual speed the craft will achieve is much greater than that produced by a chemical rocket. Such a vehicle would eventually travel more than 200,000 mph.
11%
238 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
16 votes
Not Applicable
66%
1394 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.41% | 4 | |
| I was on a yacht once when the wind blew us off course - in space that would be deadly. | 0.10% | 1 |
| Solar sails were used in an episode of Star Trek deep space nine when Captain Sisco wanted to make a trip with his son | 0.10% | 1 |
| Sounds like fun. | 0.10% | 1 |
| No thanks. | 0.10% | 1 |
| to mine for more recourses. | 0.10% | 1 |
| NOPE | 0.10% | 1 |
| not a clue | 0.10% | 1 |
| Nothing would | 0.10% | 1 |
| No way no how. | 0.10% | 1 |
| none of the above | 0.10% | 1 |
| Many How's! | 0.10% | 1 |
| none | 0.10% | 1 |
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3.
Other than Mars, we don't have too many other places we can visit in our solar system. One option however is Saturn's largest moon Titan. It is also an ocean world and is unique in that it has a dense atmosphere. This atmosphere and other unique characteristics make Titan the most habitable place in the outer solar system for humans. Here are some of the "tourist attractions" on Titan. Do these suggest to you that "habitable" might be an over optimistic description?
Titan is primarily composed of ice and rocky material, with a rocky core surrounded by various layers of ice, including a subsurface layer of ammonia-rich liquid water. With its liquids and nitrogen atmosphere, Titan's methane cycle nearly resembles Earth's water cycle, albeit at a much lower temperature of about -179 °C.
16%
339 votes
The atmosphere of Titan is mainly nitrogen and methane which lead to the formation of hydrocarbon clouds and smog-like haze. Its climate—including wind and rain—creates surface features similar to those of Earth, such as dunes, rivers, lakes, seas (probably of liquid methane and ethane), and is dominated by seasonal weather patterns as on Earth.
17%
362 votes
With its abundance of hydrocarbons, if you could build a house on Titan, you would find abundant flammable liquids and gases to heat it and this is just as well because Titan receives only about 1% as much sunlight as Earth.
12%
261 votes
If your space ship runs on hydrocarbons, you can refuel once you arrive but it is a long trip. The distance between Earth and Titan is 746 million miles. Even if a human mission were to take a direct route to Titan, it would still require a minimum of two years to arrive. You will probably use up all your vacation and sick days just to get there.
12%
258 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
12 votes
Not Applicable
63%
1333 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.32% | 4 | |
| I wish we could put the lump in a spaceship & Blast him off to regions of space and beyond so he can be a dictator in another galaxy | 0.08% | 1 |
| I'll meet you at the launching pad. | 0.08% | 1 |
| No Thanks | 0.08% | 1 |
| I'd have too many panic attacks on the way over !! | 0.08% | 1 |
| NOPE | 0.08% | 1 |
| Again, I don't want to go! | 0.08% | 1 |
| yes | 0.08% | 1 |
| none | 0.08% | 1 |
4.
4.
Well that's about it for places to visit in our solar system. If we want to check out another solar system (somewhere less touristy) we can always try Proxima Centauri b, c, and d. They are the closest known planets to Earth that could potentially be habitable and are "only" 4.22 light years away. Perhaps this little blue planet we currently call home is the only home we as a species will ever know. If so, we better do a better job of looking after it. Do you agree?
Yes
39%
816 votes
No
7%
151 votes
Undecided
12%
243 votes
Not Applicable
42%
890 votes
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