Why can’t I go faster than the speed of light?

Re:Why can’t I go faster than the speed of light? by seanmcdirmid on Sunday September 12, 2021 @11:42PM (#28507655)

You need to spend equal amounts of energy and time on both acceleration and deceleration. It doesn’t help to go fast if you can’t stop at where you are going.

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Re:Why can’t I go faster than the speed of light? by vigormortis on Monday September 13, 2021 @12:45PM (#28513653)

Check out Pohl Anderson's "Tau Zero" which examines precisely this scenario. A starship using bussard ramjet needs to find an "empty" section of space free of interstellar hydrogen so they can fix their engines and decelerate without getting fried. This requires them to continue accelerating so that time dilation effects will allow the trip within the crew's lifetime. That's the setup, not the plot.

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Re:Why can’t I go faster than the speed of light? by dotancohen on Monday September 13, 2021 @01:25AM (#28508106)

Depends what the cargo is.

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Re:Why can’t I go faster than the speed of light? by r00fus on Monday September 13, 2021 @01:39AM (#28508158)

True - if it's a warhead, the acceleration is a bonus.

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Re:Why can’t I go faster than the speed of light? by seanmcdirmid on Monday September 13, 2021 @10:20AM (#28511836)

Well, if you just want to destroy a planet at near light speed, they would never see it coming and deceleration is unnecessary. Scary thought though.

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