96 FAQs about Space Travel (The Astronomy Cafe)

NASA's History Archive

SEDS exploration resource page , Starship Designs

Terraforming Mars

Babylon 5 starship technology

Who discovered Hyperspace?

  1. If cosmic rays are a big problem for travel to Mars, why aren't they a problem for Shuttle astronauts?
  2. Why does the sky look black from space?
  3. How do you calculate an Earth-mars trajectory?
  4. At what speed does the interstellar medium become lethal to high speed flight?
  5. Do spiders spin the same kinds of webs in space and on the Earth?
  6. In pictures from the Shuttle, why do you not see any stars?
  7. Could you say more about space junk as an environmental problem?
  8. What have been the practical benefits of the space program?
  9. What is it like to wear a space suit?
  10. Does NASA's 'smaller, leaner, cheaper idea make scientific sense?
  11. How is it possible for the Slingshot Effect to extract angular momentum from a planet?
  12. Do you have any references for the physiological effects of human space travel?
  13. If I shot a 200 kg mass at 20 kilometers/sec towards the Sun, where should I point so that it will actually be absorbed by the Sun and not go into orbit?
  14. How will the privitization of the Space Shuttle work?
  15. Using solar sails with a 1-G acceleration, how long would it take to get to Jupiter or Pluto?
  16. Have any man-made objects left the solar system?
  17. What is the probability of humans directly encountering visitors from other worlds?
  18. Will interstellar or intergalactic travel ever be possible?
  19. Will NASA be sending a spacecraft to fly by an asteroid soon?
  20. Will humans ever travel to the stars?
  21. Some things in the universe seem to travel faster than the speed of light, why can't we?
  22. Will astronauts ever be hit by orbiting debris?
  23. Where can I get information about US astronaut Jim Lovell?
  24. Did NASA cancel the Space Shuttle mission in April, 1997 because of the solar flare?
  25. How much radiation exposure do astronauts get in space?
  26. How long would it take to get to Saturn by Space Shuttle?
  27. Will humans be able to land on Jupiter or Saturn in the next century?
  28. Why are monkeys used in space experiments and not other animals?
  29. How do astronauts decide which experiments to conduct in space?
  30. What service do astronauts use to send email?
  31. What would happen if an astronaut took her glove off for a few seconds in space?
  32. Do rocket launches affect the orbit of the Earth?
  33. How does the Space Shuttle take off?
  34. How long did it take Apollo astronauts to get to the Moon?
  35. Why can't the Space Shuttle visit the Moon?
  36. The Hubble Space Telescope was hit by space debris. Doesn't that make the telescope a bad long term investment?
  37. What are the effects of space on human reproduction?
  38. Are any laboratories trying to develop faster than light travel?
  39. What would a SETI station on a planet 20 light years away see when looking towards the Sun?
  40. In deep space communication, what data rates are used?
  41. What is the likelihood of an 'Independence Day' scenario occurring?
  42. Do relativistic effects prevent us from ever reaching the stars quickly?
  43. What do astronauts really do in space?
  44. Why can the slingshot effect work in a symmetric gravitational field?
  45. What material is used to make spacecraft?
  46. How can a continuous 1-G thrust get you to Alpha Centauri without exceeding the speed of light half way there?
  47. I don't understand how an Alcubiere space warp can actually let you cross space in a short time?
  48. What was the minimum launch energy of the Voyager spacecraft?
  49. Can the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle allow particles to travel faster than light?
  50. If atoms can be in two places at one time, why can't we use this to travel through space instantly?
  51. Could you travel large distance in space by warping it in some way?
  52. If tachyons can travel faster than light, why can't we convert this mathematical 'trick' into reality and do the same?
  53. Will travel at light speed ever be possible?
  54. Is the kind of artificial gravity used in Star Trek ever possible?
  55. Why is the velocity of the Voyager spacecraft decreasing as it leaves the solar system?
  56. Coulld you really hide a starship in a nebula?
  57. Could gamma-ray bursts be the traces of interstellar spacecraft?
  58. If galaxies travel faster than light because of the expansion of the universe, does this mean that one day we will be able to figure out how to do it too?
  59. What is an Alcubierre warp drive?
  60. How is enough oxygen stored for long space trips?
  61. Will private enterprise ever become important in space travel and exploration?
  62. Can a spacecraft go faster than the speed of its propellant?
  63. Would you like to travel into space if given the opportunity?
  64. Do you have to be an astronomer to be an astronaut?
  65. When do you think humans will set foot on Mars?
  66. If the Space Program budget doubled each year for the next 300 years, what would we be able to do?
  67. Why is the re-entry angle of a spacecraft so critical?
  68. How fast does the Space Shuttle have to travel to leave the atmosphere?
  69. Are there any paradoxes involved in using worm holes for faster-than-light travel?
  70. Why do astronauts wear spacesuits during launch, but they don't wear their helmets during reentry?
  71. How do slingshot orbits work?
  72. How are gravity-assisted slingshot trajectories calculated?
  73. Would a jet engine work in space?
  74. Where can I get the latest day-to-day news on the Space Program?
  75. Do you favor a station on the Moon?
  76. How many plants do you need in a space station to make enough oxygen for one person?
  77. Can the effects of some diseases be reversed or stopped in space?
  78. Why can't the Space Shuttle take off like a jet from a runway?
  79. Why doesn't the Space Shuttle burn up when it reenters the atmosphere?
  80. Where can I get information about what NASA plans to do in the future?
  81. How many times does the Space Shuttle orbit the Earth each day?
  82. Does it matter which way a satellite orbits the Earth?
  83. Why do some astronomers feel we are the only intelligent life in the Milky Way?
  84. Will anyone ever travel to Mars?
  85. How many different navigation systems are there for space travel?
  86. If a spaceship could travel at the speed of light, could it sail past the universe and the Big Crunch?
  87. If a spaceship had a constant thrust indefinitely, could it reach light speed?
  88. What are the know physical and mental problems with human spaceflight?
  89. Is it possible to reach speeds greater than 100,000 miles per hour in space?
  90. At a speed of 1/8 the speed of light, how long would it take to get to Proxima Centauri?
  91. How feasible is warp drive and matter teleportation in Star Trek?
  92. Is there any comparison of outer space exploration with the voyage of Columbus?
  93. How long would it take to get to the nearest star?
  94. Can humans be frozen for long voyages like they do in some science fiction stories?
  95. What would happen if I stepped into space without a spacesuit?
  96. Will we ever be able to travel faster than the speed of light?

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