M = m0 / sqrt(1 - (v/c)^2): will humankind never journey to even the nearest star?

einstein may have been one of history’s greatest physicists, but at a trekkie party he would be considered a huge party pooper.

the algebraic equation shown above means that as velocity increases so does mass. in fact, as velocity approaches the speed of light, mass approaches infinity and therefore v can not equal c the speed of light – i’m certain many of you aready know that, but in case it’s news to anyone in particular.

that’s a bummer for trekkies and anyone who has dreams of visiting any nearby stars some day in the near or not too distant future. huge advances in technology will be required to make such a visit possible. and, at best, you’d have to be pretty wet behind the ears to attempt such a trip if you expect to make it a round trip.

while technology advances occur at an ever increasing rate, do you think humans will ever be able to visit the outer reaches of the solar system let alone any nearby stars? note, i don’t include visits to other galaxies as even a possibility to consider.

factor into your response the rate at which we are destroying our environment and so our continued viability. Will we be around long enough to advance technology to the point it even makes sense to consider such a trip