**Ask a monkey a physics question thread**

[BananaStand]

How close will we be able to get to light speed as our technology improves?

I saw something on Netflix, can't remember what' it's called, but it evaluates the possibility of humans moving to another planet. The most viable solution seems to have been developed in the 60's. And I can't remember the name of the project, but essentially, you build a massive vessel, and every few minutes it shits out a nuclear bomb. The bomb explodes in space, and the explosion pushes the vessel forward. A few minutes later, another bomb, and the vessel moves even faster.

They said within some months the vessel would be going approximately 6% of the speed of light, which is fast enough to get us to another potential planet within 150 or so years.

Obviously a fuck-ton can go wrong. Most notably, the planet could be unlivable. But they did say that the engineering is probably the easy part. The real challenge is figuring out what happens to babies born in zero-gravity. The way our bones grow and how we learn to walk is all driven by gravity that pulls us downward.

It's possible that our species de-volves into gelatinous sacks of goo before we ever get to the new planet.

[MadMojoMonkey]

I saw something on Netflix, can't remember what' it's called, but it evaluates the possibility of humans moving to another planet. The most viable solution seems to have been developed in the 60's. And I can't remember the name of the project, but essentially, you build a massive vessel, and every few minutes it shits out a nuclear bomb. The bomb explodes in space, and the explosion pushes the vessel forward. A few minutes later, another bomb, and the vessel moves even faster.

They said within some months the vessel would be going approximately 6% of the speed of light, which is fast enough to get us to another potential planet within 150 or so years.

Yep. That's Project Orion. And the "spaceship" can be city-sized using 1960's tech.

It's still a perfectly viable option if we don't launch it from Earth. It's a monumentally heavier design, which is stopping us from building one in orbit in order to take joy rides to Jupiter.
I'd have to look at the data again, but I think the radiological fallout is A) not ALL pulled toward the humans by gravity, and B) has to get through the Earth's magnetic shield*. Once you're out far enough, blowing up nukes to get around is actually legit.

*Totally not OP for your home planet to start the game with a force field, IMO.

It's possible that our species de-volves into gelatinous sacks of goo before we ever get to the new planet.

Changes in physiology and not the genome don't count.

It's still evolution, not de-volution. A process which changes over time is an evolving (or evolution) process.

You'd have to reverse causality to have de-volution, I think.

[BananaStand]

Changes in physiology and not the genome don't count.

It's still evolution, not de-volution. A process which changes over time is an evolving (or evolution) process.

You'd have to reverse causality to have de-volution, I think.

So at the end of all that scientific semantics, we're still a race of blob-people right? Or am I missing something in your post?

[MadMojoMonkey]

So at the end of all that scientific semantics, we're still a race of blob-people right? Or am I missing something in your post?

Yeah, but blob people who could still mate and bear offspring capable of their own reproduction with non-blob people, so no speciation.

As for nitpicking on semantics:
This is the physics thread. I will shamelessly pick on semantics wherever I deem the potential for misunderstanding. We're not the only ones who read this thread. I want the scientific definition of evolution to the be one we favor in this thread. That is why I clarified. (I hope) I'm not so pedantic in other threads.

Semantics can make all the difference between a good explanation and a terrible explanation.

Or as Mark Twain is credited: The difference between the right word and a similar word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.