In reply to Terry Blanton's message of Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:51:39 -0400: Hi, >Oh, and I have been hoping for hydrogen hype for three decades now. So far >we are just as likely to have warp drive powered by di-lithium.
Imagine the consequences of running into a pebble, or even a gas cloud, at near light speed. How much matter do you think such a vessel would encounter between here and e.g. Proxima Centauri? I'm afraid "shielding" is at least as big a problem as actually achieving light speed. A worm-hole that actually allowed matter to pass through it unchanged, and bypassed the intervening space altogether would IMO be a much better alternative than "warp drive". Besides do we really need to go anywhere at all? If information can be sent at superluminal speeds, then societies that have it can exchange enough information to satiate their curiosity, without going anywhere. Our own Solar system provides adequate materials to meet our needs essentially for ever. Going to the stars for material goods is a dream of juvenile civilizations.
