Infinity and Beyond

Ten Ways Space Travel Isn’t Like Television or the Movies

Jonathan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:06:28 +0000

10. There is no sound in space (rumbling engines, electronic beeping, laser blasts, etc.)

You’ve probably heard this fact stated before by your high school science teacher or some killjoy walking out of a movie theater: If movies were trying to be scientifically accurate, there would be absolutely no sound out in space. That means no booster rockets rumbling, no laser blasts during an epic space battle; just pure silence. Space, by it’s very definition, is made up of absolutely nothing. Since sound is caused by vibrations through a medium — air, water, etc. — there’s simply no way for sound to transmit over any distance. Of course, watching almost any action scene from Star Wars with the mute button on would be incredibly boring, so filmmakers usually get a pass for this one.

9. It takes a really loooooong time to get anywhere

In most movies, traveling to another solar system takes about as long as a cross-country road trip. In reality, the distance between planetary bodies is so great that it would take much longer than the average lifespan of a human to reach them. The nearest star to the sun is still 25 trillion miles away from Earth. Even NASA’s fastest rocket would take over 100,000 years to get there.

8. Wormholes would not be useful for space travel

In many movie plots, wormholes are a great means for people to travel large distances almost instantly or even travel through time. But there’s a pretty good reason science fiction writers often pull a wormhole out as an easy plot device though: they’re only theoretical. Scientists have theorized about the existence of wormholes since the 1920’s, but there’s really no evidence that they could be used for space travel, other than mathematical equations. Even if they could act as a portal from one place to another though, they still might not be very useful since some theories say they would be microscopic and only last for a fraction of a second.

7. Traveling at light speed would rip a space craft apart

Several movies use light speed travel as an easy solution to having spaceships travel the enormous distance between galaxies. Traveling faster might seem like the best way to overcome the distance problem, but then it just creates a new problem with all the space debris that would tear the ship apart. For example, the Hubble Telescope has had numerous holes punched in it from meteorites the size of dust particles, and that’s a relatively slow moving vessel. If a ship were to travel at the speed of light, it wouldn’t make it across the Solar System without being reduced to dust itself.

6. We would not be able to communicate with aliens right off the bat

The English language — or any language for that matter — is the product of millions of years of cultural evolution, which means countless coincidences brought us our means of communication for today. With that in mind, just what would be the odds of bumping into an alien species and being able to converse with them at all? Never mind that the chances of finding an intelligent species on another planet are astronomical, just how likely would it be for the Star Trek crew to land on an alien world and instantly start talking with the inhabitants?

5. Asteroids do not clump together

How many movies feature some intrepid space explorer fearlessly diving into an asteroid field to escape an enemy? Unfortunately for those pilots, most asteroids don’t clump together like that. True, our own Solar System has an asteroid belt, but even that is spread out enough for man unmanned spacecraft to pass through. Most asteroids are simply massive chunks of rock floating along their own path, independent of each other.

4. There cannot be fires/large explosions in space

For the same reason that sound cannot exist in space, neither can fires or large explosions. Fire needs oxygen to survive, which definitely doesn’t exist in space. You might get an outburst of energy during an explosion on a spacecraft and maybe even some quick flames burning up leaking oxygen, but it wouldn’t be anything near the spectacle of, say, the Death Star exploding in Star Wars.

3. People do not move in slow-mo in zero gravity

It’s hard to say whether it’s due to some misguided acting or a poor understanding of physics, but astronauts are often depicted moving in slow-motion when they’re in zero gravity. It’s probably because anytime you see a video of real astronauts in space, they’re just floating slowly around the cockpit. What people don’t always seem to notice though is that the rest of their body is still moving normally, and not as if they were underwater.

2. Space exposure is almost instantly fatal

There doesn’t seem to be a single movie out there that accurately depicts what happens to a human body that is exposed directly to the vacuum of space. They either show a person simply suffocating, freezing, or even exploding from the lack of pressure. Unfortunately, the truth is much worse than any of those scenarios. Thanks to Henry’s Law the drastic change in pressure would cause all the liquid in your body to evaporate at once, from your saliva to your blood to your urine. Because of this, your body expands to about twice its size, while you slip into unconsciousness (don’t worry, the whole process takes about fifteen seconds). Within a few minutes all the liquids and vapors remaining in your body will be sucked out into the void, leaving a dried husk of a corpse behind. And no, not all of this is speculation, as a couple of astronauts have actually come close to going through this whole ordeal and were quickly rescued.

1. Not all planets have the exact same gravity as Earth

In every movie where humans travel to different worlds, they might find a different climate or atmosphere, but they almost always encounter gravity similar to Earth’s. This works for a story that revolves around humans exploring a new planet, but the odds of them landing on a planet with tolerable gravity are slim. Even in our own solar system there are planets with enough gravity to crush a person along with planets that would barely hold a person down.

15 Inventions Inspired By Science Fiction

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:42:59 +0000

15) Cell Phones

When the first flip phones were produced, many people commented that they looked like the communicators in Star Trek. That’s no coincidence. Martin Cooper, the inventor of the first handheld mobile phone, has credited Captain Kirk’s nifty gadget with inspiring the whole concept of the portable phone.

14) Submarine

Submarines have been around since the Civil War and even used in combat. However, it wasn’t until Jules Verne published his classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1870 that engineers began to envision more advanced submersibles that could probe even deeper into the ocean.

13) Electronic Book Readers

In most science fiction, paper is a thing of the past, and some recent gadgets show a push in that direction. Owners of e-book readers like the Kindle have Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to thank for first describing a portable, paperless reference book.

12) Powered Exoskeleton

Probably the most famous scene in the second Aliens movie is when Ripley saves a little girl using a hydraulic exoskeleton. Someone in the military seems to have taken notice, since engineers recently unveiled an exoskeleton that helps a person lift 200 pounds like it was nothing at all. One inventor in Japan even went the extra mile and developed a functional suit almost identical to the one in the movie.

11) Home Theaters

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 featured very little in the way of high tech gadgetry, with the exception of special “parlours” in people’s homes that would have large television screens on one or more walls complete with surround sound systems. Today, you can find that in your average suburban home, except we call them “home theaters.”

10) Computerized Language Translation (Hitchhiker’s Guide)

“Babel Fish” wasn’t just a random name AltaVista came up with for their web translation software. This was actually an alien species from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that could translate any language after being put into a person’s ear.

9) TASER

When Jack Cover developed his first prototype for a less-lethal alternative to guns, he gave it an acronym that stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle.” Cove chose the name after the hero of a science fiction series he had read as a child, one of which featured an “electric rifle” that was used for hunting.

8 ) Computer Viruses

Hey, no one said science fiction only inspires good inventions. When researchers accidentally created the first computer virus in 1975, they described it as a “worm.” The term was taken from John Brunner’s novel, The Shockwave Rider, in which a “tapeworm” begins to infect computers worldwide.

7) Orbiting Satellites

Author Edward Everett Hale first explored the idea of a satellite in his short story, “The Brick Moon,” but it was famed sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke who first proposed satellites as a means for mass communication. He wrote an article in 1945 that described communication devices hovering in orbit to provide high-speed global communication. Seven years later, Sputnik was launched.

6) VCR/DVD Player

While most of the world was marveling at the invention of motion pictures in the 1890’s, H.G. Wells was already thinking of ways to make it better. At one point in his novel, When the Sleeper Wakes, a man discovers a machine that seems to store and play individual movies for entertainment.

5) PDA or Pocket Computer

In 1974, when most computers were large enough to fill whole rooms, Larry Niven envisioned a pocket-sized version in The Mote in God’s Eye. The “pocket computers” are mostly used for mathematical calculations and note taking, but with their communication functions, Niven might as well be describing a Blackberry or an iPhone.

4) Robots (R.U.R. by Karel Capek, Metropolis)

The idea of constructing artificial life has been around for centuries, but the term “robot” was first introduced in Karel Capek’s play, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). However, it wasn’t until the 1927 film, Metropolis, that people began seeing robots as humanoid machines that could be controlled by a programmer.

3) Space Travel

Even though his 1865 novel, From the Earth to the Moon, was meant to be a comedy, Jules Verne did some serious calculations to back up his tale of three men trying to travel to the moon using a cannon. Some of his theories and equations turned out to be surprisingly accurate to those used in the Apollo missions, and he even correctly predicted that weightlessness would exist in space.

2) Internet

William Gibson’s book, Neuromancer, simultaneously set the basis for the cyberpunk genre as well as the internet (or more accurately, the World Wide Web). In his dystopian world, almost everyone can access a global computer network using special brain interfaces, which allows everyone on the planet to exchange information instantly. Sound familiar?

1) Atomic Bomb

It’s not hard to imagine a huge explosion, but Robert Cromie envisioned the means to do so that would eventually become reality. In The Crack of Doom, he wrote about a weapon that used the energy of an atom to decimate nearly two square miles of land. Over four decades later, the Manhattan Project was well under way.

100 Incredible Paranormal Activity Blogs

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:04:15 +0000

100 Incredible Paranormal Activity Blogs

Paranormal activity is all around us, in the form of unknown creatures, spirits, and unusual occurrences. Many people have research and experiences to share with others in the paranormal community, and much of this information can be found on blogs. Here, we’ll take a look at 100 blogs that offer an intriguing look into paranormal activity.

General

Stay on top of paranormal reports and the latest research with these blogs.

Area51: Area51 is the secret headquarters for paranormal reports.
Stephen’s Paranormal Phenomena Blog: Stephen Wagner writes this guide to paranormal phenomena.
io9: io9 comes from the future.
Paranormal Magazine: This magazine explores the world of the unexplained.
Paranormal Activities: Check out this blog to see paranormal videos and more.
Unique Nurses: Unique Nurses features ESP and paranormal studies and research.
A State of Mind: A State of Mind explores psychic phenomena.
Truth Seeker Forum: This forum is committed to researching, exploring, and discussing subjects like UFOs, Bigfoot, and more.
Things That Go Bump in the Night: See how this blogger experiences the paranormal.
Your Dark Passenger: Your Dark Passenger is the source for paranormal thoughts.
Mind-Energy: Mind-Energy shares parapsychology articles and more.
The Paranormal Pastor: The Paranormal Pastor takes a look at all things unexplained and paranormal.
Paranormal Encyclopedia: Find reference in the paranormal from this blog.
Unexplained Mysteries: Unexplained Mysteries is your source for the paranormal.
The OddBlog: The OddBlog is all about the unexplained.
In the Shadow of Doubt: Take a look at what’s real in the paranormal realm through this blog.
JJ Lumsden’s Parapsychology Blog: JJ Lumsden is an experimental psychologist and author of The Hidden Whisper.
My Strange Blog: See how strange the universe is by reading this blog.
Strange Days: Strange Days features paranormal stories from the UK and beyond.
Backyard Phenomena: Backyard Phenomena discusses phenomena found in common places.
World Horror Stories: World Horror Stories features the scariest stories, photos, and videos ever.
Prophet666: Find Nostradamus, prophecies, and more on this blog.
Occult Blogger: Occult Blogger is where occult mysteries are explored.
My Life After Near Death Experiences: Learn about amazing experiences after near death.
Pseudo-Occult Media: Explore the occult in this blog.
Occult View: On this blog, you can learn about spirituality outside the mainstream.
Voodoo Who Do: Voodoo Who Do is a blog of weirdness, mayhem, and madness.
Plutonica: Plutonica explores occulture, philosophy, spirituality, and magick.
The Travels of a Dream Walker: See the record of this blogger’s out of body experiences here.
Astral Projection Blog: Read this blog for a journey into the astral realm.
My Astral Projection Journal: Visit this blog to read about the experiences of an astral projector.
Astral Travel Blog: Maria Valdez lives and breathes astral travel.
The Anomalist: The Anomalist is a review of news in anomalies around the world.
Posthuman Blues: Read this blog to find images, video and more in the paranormal
Encounters with the Unexplained: This blog offers a collection of experiences with the paranormal world.
Doctor Fong’s House of Mysteries: On this blog, you’ll find aliens, curios, monsters, oddities, and more.
Paranormal Blog: This blog is a place to discuss, rant, and rave about the paranormal.
The Paranormal Dimension: Read Caitlin MacKenna’s blog about anything and everything paranormal.
Edinburgh’s Dark Side: Take a look into the dark side of Edinburgh on this blog.
Paranormal Knowledge: Paranormal Knowledge has the knowledge to understand the secrets of life.

Aliens

In these blogs, you’ll learn about alien encounters and UFOs.

UFO Mag Blog: This is the official blog of UFO Magazine.
The Paranormal Casebook: Learn about aliens and UFOs in the episodes of this casebook blog.
Inexplicata: Inexplicata is the journal of Hispanic Ufology.
Lights in the Sky: Lights in the Sky is a UFO and alien phenomena discussion and search for the truth.
The Gralien Report: The Gralien Report highlights weird news, anomalies, and exopolitics from beyond the fringe.
UFO Blog: This blog fights against truth decay in UFOs.
Alien Life: Read this blog to explore the possibility of alien life.
The Orange Orb: The Orange Orb shares UFOs, theories, speculations, opinions, cases, and paranormal activities.
Strange State: Strange State highlights paranormal mysteries and more.
UFO Media Matters: UFO Media Matters advocates for respect of UFO witnesses.
Anomaly Blog: The Anomaly Blog shares UFO sightings, alien abductions, and paranormal phenomena.
Theozfiles: Bill Chalker writes about his research, investigations, and more on this blog.
Beyond the Dial: Read Beyond the Dial to learn about paranormal investigation.
Follow the Magic Thread: This blogger is a truth seeker and the International Director of the Mutual UFO Network.
UFOexperiences: This blog is written to inform the public about UFOs.
Billy’s UFOs/Aliens Blog: Billy Booth writes this About.com blog about aliens and UFOs.
UFO News Blog: The UFO News Blog is all about current sightings and the latest news.
Alien, UFO Casebook Fringe: Check out this blog to find paranormal, alien, and UFO daily news.
GRUDGE: GRUDGE is a gathering of UFO-related historical data and other related items.
Extraterrestrial: Extraterrestrial is a companion blog to the National Geographic program Extraterrestrial.
Alien, UFO & Paranormal Times: Here you’ll get alien, UFO and paranormal news daily.
A Different Perspective: Read this blog for commentary on UFOs, paranormal events, and related topics.
UFO Blogger: UFO Blogger uncovers the UFO truth.
Exopolitics: Exopolitics represents the study of the politics of extraterrestrial contact.
Alien, UFO Casebook Frontier: This blog shares daily UFO and alien current events.
Real UFOs: Real UFOs will give you access to the best UFO news and videos.
The Debris Field: The Debris Field has fresh UFO and paranormal news crashing daily.
UFO Sightings Blog: This blog is all about unidentified flying objects.
The UFO Chronicles: The UFO Chronicles shares historic and current UFO news and reports from around the world.

Ghosts

Check out these blogs to learn about hauntings and ghost stories.

Ghost Stories and Paranormal Encounters: Check out this paranormal blog to read true ghost tales submitted by readers.
Amy’s Haunted Blog & Stories: Amy shares her thoughts, comments, and stories about ghosts, hauntings, and the paranormal on this blog.
Haunted Hoax: Patrick Doyle writes this blog about haunted hoaxes.
6thSensitive: Read 6th Sensitive to learn about ghost experiences in Ireland.
Haunted Real Estate Blog: Mary Pope-Handy discusses real estate with a little something extra.
The Shadow Watchers: The Shadow Watchers keep an eye on ghost stories.
Prairie Specters: Prairie Specters is a place to share your experience or encounter with the paranormal.
Ghost Investigator: Linda Zimmermann is a ghost investigator in New York.
ASSAP: ASSAP discusses paranormal research.
Dark Destinations: Dark Destinations encourages readers to take the road less traveled.
Ghost Hunting Secrets: Ghost Hunting Secrets will teach you about ghost hunting.
Buck’s Ghosts and Hauntings: Buck is a paranormal investigator who shares his visits to interesting sites of haunting phenomena.
Spiritual Visitations: Read about true spirit encounters on this blog.
Wee Ghosties: Wee Ghosties is a beginner’s guide to ghost hunting.
Spooked!: Find snippets of life and the afterlife in this ghost hunter’s blog.
Ghost Stories: Andrea Allison shares the stories of ghost experiences.

Monsters

These monster chasers are on the hunt for Bigfoot, Nessie, and other strange creatures.

Blogsquatcher: Read this blog about issues in bigfooting.
CryPtoReports: Read about Bessie, the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and other creatures on this blog.
Beasts of London: Beasts of London writes about strange creatures and out of place animals.
The Sasquatch Experience: Get the latest on the Sasquatch mystery through this audio blog.
Monsters of Kent: Monsters of Kent is devoted to the creatures and monsters of Kent.
Cryptozoology Online: Cryptozoology Online offers daily news from the Centre for Forean Zoology.
Phantoms & Monsters: Look into close encounters, conspiracies, and more in this blog.
ShukerNature: This blog is written by Dr. Karl Shuker, one of the best known cryptozoologists in the world.
Nick Redfern’s “There’s Something in the Woods…”: Here you’ll find the official blog for Nick Redfern’s cryptozoology books.
Crypto Squad USA: This blog is dedicated to delivering the latest news in Cryptozoology.
Crytozoology Online: This blog is the voice of the international cryptozoology community.
Monster!: Monster! is the A-Z of zooform phenomena.
Bigfoot Sightings: Bigfoot Sightings features bigfoot research and sighting reports.
Cryptomundo: Cryptomundo is all about bigfoot, loch ness, and other cryptids.
Centre for Fortean Zoology Australia: Check out this blog to learn about the monster hunters of the Southern Hemisphere.