More Problems for Interstellar Sojourners

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The following article is rather short, but technical in nature. Dr. Jonathan Sarfati discusses the problems that extraterrestrial life forms would not be able to overcome to visit our part of the universe.

In a previous article, we showed that interstellar travel had intractable energy problems, simply in achieving the needed high speeds, and the huge impact energies at these speeds. And as will be shown, there are other problems, involving what are popularly called “g-forces”.

Actually, the term “g-force” is misleading, because it refers to acceleration due to gravity. Under Newton’s Second Law, F = ma, or force = mass × acceleration. It is used because the weight force is proportional to mass, while acceleration is inversely proportional, so the acceleration of all objects due to gravity is equal. This explains Galileo’s apocryphal experiment of dropping a heavy ball and a light ball from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and finding that they hit the ground at the same time (except for air resistance).

Stopping a spacecraft travelling at a third of light speed would take over 4½ days and over twice the diameter of the outermost planet’s orbit.

Speed over and finish reading "More Space Travel Problems: G-Forces", here.