What are your thoughts on time travel to the future?

Let me preface this by saying I do think that if a time travel machine might be possile in the future.

My contention is that you can only travel back in time. Why? Because the future does not yet exist.

Science tells us the universe as we know it might be approx 15 billion years old based on information obtained from the Hubble telescope. Note I am using an average here since some say it can range from 8 to 20 billion years depending on which source you use.

Now my question is this? How can you travel to the furture in time when it does not yet exist?

[edit on 1/29/2005 by shots]

Personally I don't think its possible to travel to the past or future, although its possible to see the past or future.

If time travel is possbile then why aren't there loads of visitors from the future here today? And surely there would have been reports throughout history of stangers from the future

Originally posted by shots
Now my question is this? How can you travel to the furture in time when it does not yet exist?

How do you know the future doesn't exist. Einstein once said that the future exists simultaneously with the past and that time doesn't flow in one direction.

That is an interesting theorie and Einstein isn't always right

Experiments have been done on this at NASA. High-precision timepieces were flown at extreme velocities (though well below light speed) and compared with relatively 'stationary' timepieces on the ground. The timepieces travelling at extreme velocities slowed down relative to the stationary timepieces in accordance with Einstein's predictions. Practical result: if you can attain extremely high sustained accelerations you will not only travel extreme distances in space, but also forward in time due to time dilatation effects. If you survive induced radiation effects, impact ablation, and so on. Using a relativistic but sublight spacecraft to make a journey to a star 1000 light years distant, you would experience a time warp effect onboard making it seem as if you arrived in quite a short time. Upon return, several thousand years would have passed on Earth, and you might return to find your descendants waiting for you, or you might find an unrecognizable world of barbarism. If you can find a copy of the original novel Planet of the Apes translated from French, it will explain this quite well as it was based upon the actual physics of relativistic time dilatation.

So you can travel into the future. In fact you are doing it right now.

I wonder if this is why ancient megalithic religions existed: to provide a welcoming committee far into the future. A real Galactic Empire would involve cross-generational 'contacts' after relativistic intervals, with perhaps SETI-like communication nets.

As for reverse time travel, while theoretically possible locally, the global energy requirements are prohibitive (effectively infinite). As far as we know at present.

[edit on 29-1-2005 by Chakotay]

Originally posted by nibiru
Personally I don't think its possible to travel to the past or future, although its possible to see the past or future.

If time travel is possbile then why aren't there loads of visitors from the future here today? And surely there would have been reports throughout history of stangers from the future

Originally posted by shots
Now my question is this? How can you travel to the furture in time when it does not yet exist?

How do you know the future doesn't exist. Einstein once said that the future exists simultaneously with the past and that time doesn't flow in one direction.

They are called UFOs, thats the real cover up. Imagine if society knew history was systematically altered.....whats the point in structured society or laws if they can just come back and do as they see fit. Total anarchy by those who want to test time lines and chaos by those who feel it is a lost cause.

Chakotay: Thanks for the info.

I am wondering: if we assume the earth is moving around the sun at a certain rate, and therefore can be seen as making a "corkscrew" shape in space, Couldn't we fire a very fast craft to avoid the corkscrew and rendezvous with us on a straight line at some future date? Would outrunning the earth and taking a shortcut across space put the craft's passengers onto future-earth? What would be the percieved time of the earthfolks in relation to the spacecraft?





[edit on 29-1-2005 by smallpeeps]

what about wormholes? i'm not an expert on this subject....but find time travel to be interesting....the whole alien thing was unique...and sounds fascinating. If anyone knows whether wormholes are of any relavance to this let me know.
HoundDog

Originally posted by Chakotay
Experiments have been done on this at NASA. High-precision timepieces were flown at extreme velocities (though well below light speed) and compared with relatively 'stationary' timepieces on the ground. [edit on 29-1-2005 by Chakotay]

As I recall the clocks used on the ground were atomic clocks and that was not the case for the clocks on board the space craft. That is hardly a real good comparision simply because none atomic clocks are not as accurate.

Originally posted by Chakotay
Experiments have been done on this at NASA. High-precision timepieces were flown at extreme velocities (though well below light speed) and compared with relatively 'stationary' timepieces on the ground. The timepieces travelling at extreme velocities slowed down relative to the stationary timepieces in accordance with Einstein's predictions. Practical result: if you can attain extremely high sustained accelerations you will not only travel extreme distances in space, but also forward in time due to time dilatation effects. If you survive induced radiation effects, impact ablation, and so on. Using a relativistic but sublight spacecraft to make a journey to a star 1000 light years distant, you would experience a time warp effect onboard making it seem as if you arrived in quite a short time. Upon return, several thousand years would have passed on Earth, and you might return to find your descendants waiting for you, or you might find an unrecognizable world of barbarism. If you can find a copy of the original novel Planet of the Apes translated from French, it will explain this quite well as it was based upon the actual physics of relativistic time dilatation.

So you can travel into the future. In fact you are doing it right now.

I wonder if this is why ancient megalithic religions existed: to provide a welcoming committee far into the future. A real Galactic Empire would involve cross-generational 'contacts' after relativistic intervals, with perhaps SETI-like communication nets.

As for reverse time travel, while theoretically possible locally, the global energy requirements are prohibitive (effectively infinite). As far as we know at present.

[edit on 29-1-2005 by Chakotay]

But that the time piece is in the future is only from the older time pieces reference. If you looked from the future pieces reference then wouldn't it appear that, for it to accumulate time faster, that they did exist in different times (therefor one being in the past with us), which must have happened if they stayed with each other in a constant measurement of time. Did the second timepiece travel to the past to get with us or did we travel to the future to get with it?

If time travel existed I would be going backwards instead of forwards...

I believe nuclear war is inevitable and it's just a matter of time, the more and more we come together as a world the more dangerous it is since it will be a bunch of compromising and sacrifice and alot of the world doesn't know how to play nice...

I'd like to go back and hang out with our founding fathers... Buy em all rounds at the nearest tavern...

1.)I believe that you cannot travel either direction. I think that you might be able to view events in either direction, but it would be sporadic and unrefined for a long time.

2.)If you indeed can travel either way. Then any actions you take would be moot compared to your reality of origin, as you would be creating a new reality as your events unfolded. When this new reality was created, any chance of you returning to your reality of origin would evaporate at a steady rate until such time as you either cannot return, or never existed.

Just my thoughts.

X