Well this is great I guess ... I mean antimatter is cool and all and a break through, all that jazz. But I could really go for a hoverboard right about now.
Cern Scientists Trap First Antimatter Atoms
- Thread starter Scott Bullock
- Start date
If it weren't for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty we would already be developing the Orion Drive, which would produce a theoretical top speed of 10% of the speed of light. Personally I can't think of a better use for all those nuclear weapons the world has than to use them to power the Orion Drive.Yelchor said:
And thus, a new weapon is born.
Can't we be satisfied with guns, knives, missiles and bombs? Those are fun. This just opens the gate for some crazy religious fanatic to decide that "the end is nigh" has been a slogan for way to long, and it is time for "the end is-"
You're dead.
Can't we be satisfied with guns, knives, missiles and bombs? Those are fun. This just opens the gate for some crazy religious fanatic to decide that "the end is nigh" has been a slogan for way to long, and it is time for "the end is-"
You're dead.
Oh CERN, what can't you do? Next thing you know you'll hear about how they've discovered particles with anti-mass. Thats when the fun begins.
In the meantime, we just have to be satisfied with weapons of mass destruction many times more destructive than atomic weaponry...
-sigh-
All the cool stuff is in the future.
In the meantime, we just have to be satisfied with weapons of mass destruction many times more destructive than atomic weaponry...
-sigh-
All the cool stuff is in the future.
Wait. Are you talking about that theoretical spacecraft that was literally lunged forward by the energy released by a nuclear device from the rear? While yes, it would produce results rather easily, the amount of nukes required to travel any larger distances would be huge from what I understand. Is it really a stable solution, or endurable, to have a limited supply of nukes as your fuel depot? A human crew wouldn't expect anything more than a one-way trip.matrix3509 said:
If we wish to have a long-term success, expect to see our spaceships looking like giant funnels should we be able to draw energy from dark matter.
Nope. No uber-cool star destroyers for reality.
Yes I'm aware of that oxymoron, just wanted to nab the opportunity to use that phrase at least onceSulfuricDonut said:
.
So, we have an anti-atom, but what is really important is the Higgs Boson...
If we find it, humans will know 75% of how the universe works (If you're wondering, the Higgs Boson gives particles mass).
If we find it, humans will know 75% of how the universe works (If you're wondering, the Higgs Boson gives particles mass).
According the Wikipedia the U.S. alone had a nuclear arsenal of 31,225 nuclear warheads in 1967. While that number has been severely reduced in the following years, all of that weapons grade uranium and plutonium had to go somewhere. When you combine that with the arsenals of the rest of the world I am pretty sure you would get an absolutely HUGE number. As for a one way trip, of course its going to be a one way trip, the nearest earth sized exoplanet is over 20 light years from Earth. Even going 10% of light speed, it would take an entire human lifetime just to get there. That being said, I know several people (myself included) that would happily give up our comfortable lives just so we could be the first people to leave this solar system.Yelchor said:
As for harvesting dark matter. I suppose thats plausible provided we figure out what the hell it even is by then. Thats where the Higgs Boson comes in. What if the Higgs Boson doesn't exist though?
I'm still more interested in dark energy anyway, because its WAY more abundant than dark matter, and we have even less of a clue about it than dark matter.