The thought of traveling at the speed of light is appealing to sci-fi writers.
Many examples of spaceships traveling at the speed of light or faster can be found in science
fiction films.
Some of the most recent productions show us aliens that we encounter and spaceships that
transport humans to faraway stars at speeds that defy imagination.
Light travels at a stunning 299,792,458 meters per second.
At such speed, you could circle the Earth more than seven times in a second, and humanity
would finally be able to explore beyond our solar system.
But is light-speed space travel possible?
Well, based on our current understanding of physics and the natural world's constraints,
the answer is no.
However, physicists are well aware that the faster one moves, the more energy one consumes.
It was precisely because of such a law that transporting human beings at light speed or
even close to it would "break" all known physical laws.
Even though science fiction directors are unrelated to physicists, they have no problem
telling us that the speed of light is our greatest enemy.
We'll never be able to beat it, even by a small margin!
Meanwhile, space travelers will be able to catch up with their destination without having
to make any pauses along the way.
Although that sounds simple enough, it would require massive amounts of fuel, leaving us
to wonder who or what would provide it.
Alpha Centauri is the closest star to Earth.
It would take us over four years to reach there if we traveled at the speed of light.
This may not be so grave for uncrewed solar-powered vehicles, but what about people?
Would they be able to survive four years on a teeny-tiny spaceship with nothing but themselves
for the company?
Even if scientists succeed in developing superfast spaceships, which would require revolutionary
new technology, people will not board them anytime soon.
On the other hand, everything a person requires to survive takes up a lot of space and weighs
a lot.
It is possible that people from the distant future could reach other stars at speeds close
to light speed if we can develop new materials that are much lighter than steel but still
strong.
Interstellar travel may not seem so far away in this case.
Space exploration remains a constant challenge to scientists because it requires them to
overcome numerous obstacles.
This isn't to say that we shouldn't fantasize about traveling at light speed!
Who knows?
Maybe people will be able to do just that in the distant future.
Right now, traveling at the speed of light is theoretically impossible.
But why is that?
According to Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity, which is expressed by the famous
equation E=mc2, the speed of light (c) is something like a cosmic speed limit that cannot
be surpassed.
As a result, light-speed and faster-than-light travel are physical impossibilities, particularly
for mass-carrying objects like spaceships and humans.
Even for microscopic entities like subatomic particles, the quantity of energy (E) required
to reach the speed of light poses a significant challenge to the possibility of near-light-speed
space travel.
New research conducted by Erik Lentz and his colleagues from the University of Goettingen
proposed a theory for how faster-than-light travel could be possible.
The study suggests a plan to permit superfast space travel by creating a series of what
the researchers call solitons, which will serve as the foundation for a powerful propulsion
system.
A soliton is a compact wave that maintains its speed and shape while moving with minimal
energy loss.
The research suggests that such a method could allow travel at any speed.
The method uses the very structure of space and time arranged in a soliton to provide
a solution to faster-than-light travel.
Lentz stated that a lot of work would be required to make the idea a reality.
To be valid, the amount of energy required would have to be reduced to that of modern
nuclear power reactors.
Also, they must devise a way to develop and speed up the solitons.
The researchers believe that the process is possible, even though it looks complicated.