Faster then Light?

[Salamandersmantle]

I was reading both the Minbari and Centauri factbooks. They both point out that there is a faster then light propulson system. It seems to explain that this type of engine is a more primitive form of propulsion then hyperspace travel. Since traveling at faster then light speeds it would take years to go between the stars. Does anyone know if there are stats for this type of engine? Also since Babylon 5 is based more in reality then other sci-fi series, is faster then light even possible in a reality sense. Please let me know what everyone thinks about this.

 

[Perturbatio]

this might help: http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SpeedOfLight/FTL.html#20

Quantum theory *may* be able to provide a feasible solution, in that two particles existing a large distance apart can communicate seemingly instantaneously.

Regarding wormholes, in theory, if you could generate a stable wormhole for say 1 second and it transferred matter a distance greater than 299,792,458 metres then that would be faster than the speed of light. If you could rapidly generate these wormholes (1 per second for 1 second) then you would in theory be able to place them one in front of the other until you reached your destination.
This is not possible nowadays but who knows in 200 years time? After all, physics has had to change it's perception of the universe three times in the last 100 years.

 

[lastbesthope]

I was reading both the Minbari and Centauri factbooks. They both point out that there is a faster then light propulson system. It seems to explain that this type of engine is a more primitive form of propulsion then hyperspace travel. Since traveling at faster then light speeds it would take years to go between the stars. Does anyone know if there are stats for this type of engine? Also since Babylon 5 is based more in reality then other sci-fi series, is faster then light even possible in a reality sense. Please let me know what everyone thinks about this.

You couldn't give me the page refs in those books, I haven't had time to even skim these yet but I'd be interested in reading anything they say about FTL engines.

Thanks

LBH

 

[frobisher]

I was reading both the Minbari and Centauri factbooks. They both point out that there is a faster then light propulson system.

The two books are just plain wrong on this point

No race in the B5 universe uses real space FTL drive (jms confirmed this at somepoint I seem to recall...).

No one needs to develop it due to the presence of the jumpgate network and the relative ease with which said equipment can be reverse engineered.

That said, realspace FTL, along the style of Star Trek's warp drive, is actually plausible - just not practical (yet... and not for a log while until material science improves considerably).

Once you're effectively through the light speed barrier, there's no constraint beyond how much energy you can funnel through your warp drive to limit your FTL velocity, so there's nothing to say it would be inferior to hyperspace travel.

In the Babylon universe, any race with gravitic drive is actually a large chunk of the way there, as basically these are low power warp drives however the impetous to develop them towards FTL drives just isn't there.

Maybe, given millenia of research that could happen, but why waste the effort and resources when you can develop your sensor technology to make hyperspace travel safer at higher velocities.

 

[Salamandersmantle]

I was reading both the Minbari and Centauri factbooks. They both point out that there is a faster then light propulson system. It seems to explain that this type of engine is a more primitive form of propulsion then hyperspace travel. Since traveling at faster then light speeds it would take years to go between the stars. Does anyone know if there are stats for this type of engine? Also since Babylon 5 is based more in reality then other sci-fi series, is faster then light even possible in a reality sense. Please let me know what everyone thinks about this.

You couldn't give me the page refs in those books, I haven't had time to even skim these yet but I'd be interested in reading anything they say about FTL engines.

Thanks



In the Centauri Republic fact book start on page 95 in the Centauri history section and it describes how a faster then light ship was salvaged and put to use by the Centauri.

In the Minbari Factbook look on page 22 the Star Born subrace it describes how in there isolation they have mastered FTL engines.

Anything you have to contribute to this thread is much appreciated.

LBH

 

[Anonymous]

Here are the ones that nasa is seriously looking at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/PAO/html/warp/ideachev.htm#worm

 

[BeronTheGrey]

In the Centauri Republic fact book start on page 95 in the Centauri history section and it describes how a faster then light ship was salvaged and put to use by the Centauri.

In the Minbari Factbook look on page 22 the Star Born subrace it describes how in there isolation they have mastered FTL engines.

Anything you have to contribute to this thread is much appreciated.

Looking at both books, it seems as though the FTL drive mentioned is the standard B5 jump drive.

Simon D. Taylor

 

[frobisher]

Looking at both books, it seems as though the FTL drive mentioned is the standard B5 jump drive.

Not in the Centauri book it ain't...

The reverse engineering of the Shoggren Crystal Drive described on page 99 leads to the paragraph...

The test flight worked better than anyone could have hoped for. The Destiny's drive did not suffuse the ship with a field of energised momentum as the designers had hoped. Instead, it opened a doorway to another realm of physical space. Here, the Destiny's King travelled at speeds far faster than its structure should have allowed and emerged into normal space by reactivating the drive and flying out of its aperture

Now given that the Centauri were trying to replicate the performance of the (now disfunctional) Cysytal Drive it clearly didn't function like standard jump drive, but in a realspace manner.

 

[BeronTheGrey]

Looking at both books, it seems as though the FTL drive mentioned is the standard B5 jump drive.

Not in the Centauri book it ain't...

The reverse engineering of the Shoggren Crystal Drive described on page 99 leads to the paragraph...

The test flight worked better than anyone could have hoped for. The Destiny's drive did not suffuse the ship with a field of energised momentum as the designers had hoped. Instead, it opened a doorway to another realm of physical space. Here, the Destiny's King travelled at speeds far faster than its structure should have allowed and emerged into normal space by reactivating the drive and flying out of its aperture

Now given that the Centauri were trying to replicate the performance of the (now disfunctional) Cysytal Drive it clearly didn't function like standard jump drive, but in a realspace manner.

Hmm. My take on that would be that the Centauri thought the Crystal Drive worked in a different manner than it actually did. i.e. They thought the drive allowed a ship to travel FTL in real space, whereas it was actually just some kind of variant of a jump drive. I mean, the Centauri would have had to be guessing at how this aline technology worked anyway, so who's to say that they guessed right?

Simon D. Taylor

 

[frobisher]

Hmm. My take on that would be that the Centauri thought the Crystal Drive worked in a different manner than it actually did. i.e.

But they had been operating the drive that they reverse engineered in the manner they were expecting for quite some time before that before the drive failed.

 

[lastbesthope]

Ijust read both bits mentioned above about the FTL drives. They both seem explainable by standard jump engines.

B5 just doesn't do realspace FTL. But I like it that way.

LBH

 

[Eryx]

I assumed from whats in the Centauri factbook that what it was talking about was a Hyperspace Jumpengine.

 

[frobisher]

I assumed from whats in the Centauri factbook that what it was talking about was a Hyperspace Jumpengine.

It's abundantly clear in the quote I provided. The original didn't open a hyperspace portal, the reverse engineered one did. Clearly the former isn't a jump engine, but the Centauri "bodged" version was.

 

[lastbesthope]

I don't think it is abundantly clear, if it were we wouldn't be having this discussion IMHO.



LBH

 

[scottmage]

I don't think it is abundantly clear, if it were we wouldn't be having this discussion IMHO.



LBH

I agree with you, I think he is not following what was said and is just pretending to do so.

hmmm...let's see...another dimension of physical space...sounds like Warping normal space (like in Star Trek) or in Einstien's Theory of Relitivity. High gravity Warps normal space (they have proven that by the way) and would allow you to travel FTL.