Hawkins says humans may travel into the future
Ferry Online Travel News 04/05/2010
Stephen Hawkins say humans could use science to travel into the future
Big obstacles remain, but according to a famous physicist, we may one day be able to travel millions of years into the future.
Stephen Hawking has said it is theoretically possible we might one day use mighty spaceships to travel far into the future. Hawking is famous for his ability both to crack astrophysical conundrums and explain the arcane concepts of quantum mechanics to audiences at any level. His 1988 book 'A Brief History of Time' has sold more than ten million copies and been branded a landmark journey in knowledge.
For years, he was loathed to discuss his idea publicly. Hawking feared an establishment backlash for broaching a subject long-considered theretical, in much the way Galileo was pilloried for suggesting the Earth was round.
Hawking’s latest assertion is founded on a scientific rule. Relative to slower-moving objects, things moving at speed see time move more slowly. As speeds increase, the time differential becomes more apparent. In the classic illustration of this phenomenon, an astronaut returns from a high-speed journey to meet his now much-older twin brother. A spacecraft travelling close to the speed of light could exploit this to, in effect, shrink the universe.
Scientists broadly support Hawking’s announcement but say substantial technological obstacles remain. For example, a spacecraft capable of making such a journey would need to carry an enormous supply of fuel.
But don’t get your hopes up about having a second chance at that relationship, job offer or sports bet. Hawking says travelling backwards through time remains off-limits as to do so would break the law of cause and effect and is, therefore, impossible.
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