Begin Adventure / How to Break the Light Barrier by A.D. 2079 (third edition)

Book excerpt: In 1905 Einstein found from relativity that there is an absolute lightbarrier. He reiterated his ¿finden¿ in 1916, writing, ¿¿We conclude that in thetheory of relativity the velocity c plays the part of limiting velocity, which canneither be reached nor exceeded by any real body.¿ Poincaré and Lorentz didnot share Einstein¿s view of relativity in that regard. Nor, later, did Fermi andTeller it seems. There were others who hesitated to come forward. Then in a1921 lecture and a 1922 look, ¿sidelights on Relativity,¿ Einstein wrote (pp. 35-6), ¿Poincaré is right. The idea of the measuring-rod and the idea of the clockco-ordinated with it in the theory of relativity do not find their exactcorrespondence in the real world.¿Thus the light barrier was questioned by the same man who erected it, andthe last theoretical obstacle to practical star travel was mortally wounded butfew noticed. There is still a conditional light barrier, but no longer one that isimpenetrable. It became clear that the second postulate of special relativity doesnot equate to an absolute light barrier as many continue to believe even to thisday; some highly-regarded scientists continue to subscribe to this faulty logic:¿I believe that special relativity is correct and consequently exceeding thespeed of light [by] (just accelerating more and more) is impossible,¿¿Don Lincoln, Fermilab, email dated 3 Feb. 2005.Such statements reflect a misunderstanding of the second postulate. The key isthat the second postulate applies to photons but not to rocketships; rocketshipsare not macrophotons as Sachs pointed out.In the September 1971 issue of the journal ¿Physics Today¿ MendelSachs wrote about Einstein¿s 1921-22 ¿change of mind¿ as he referred to it,again in 1985, 1993 and at other times; but Sachs¿ writings were scorned byother scientists. It was as if others wanted there to be a truly impenetrable lightbarrier perhaps because it seemed to hold open the exciting promise of timetravel. The first author became aware of Sachs¿ writings in 2004 and the twoexchanged views for a time as reported here.This book presents a hard-science case for practical star travel. The firstsix chapters lay it all out in a logical and factual manner consistent with thetheory of relativity. Chapters 7 & 8 outline a ¿Grand Experiment¿ designed toprobe the light barrier. Chapters 7-9 give future-fiction accounts of possiblescenarios of Humanity¿s first hesitant steps to the stars. Chapter 10 presents aseparate argument questioning the idea of an absolute light barrier.