If I understand it correctly special relativity states that time dilation and length contraction are symetrical between observers <i> in an inertial frame of reference. </i><br /><br />Concentrating on time dilation and the twins paradox, the reason for the different aging between the twin observing back home and the twin who travelled at 0.9c is that, regardless of the two twins <i> relative </i> speed, one twin has remained in an interial frame of reference for the whole journey (he stayed on Earth, which moves through space by inertia), but the other twin, on the spaceship, was <i> not </i> in an inertial frame for the whole time they were accelerating and decelerating.<br /><br />You said the crew observes no increase in mass. The way I understand it this is partially incorrect, for they would see indirectly how much extra mass they had when they saw how much fuel they need to accelerate that mass any faster. The crew does also observe length contraction. They observe the distance to their destination decrease through the blueshift of its light, which is confirmed when they travel that distance in far less time than the observer on Earth sees them take.<br /><br />As described by the Lorentz Transformation in Special Relativity, for a 2 light year journey, at 0.866c the journey takes them 1 year. Morever, at that speed they see the distance to their destination shrink to 0.866 of a light year. But observers on Earth see them take 2.3 years to make the journey.<br /><br />So the crew can indirectly notice length contraction to their destination and mass increase due to increase in fuel use. The cannot directly see their own bodymass or shipmass increase of course, nor do they know that seconds are ticking slower for them than they are back on Earth (but they will find out when they get back!).<br /><br />As for the idea that with sufficient fuel the spacecraft can accelerate at 1g until they are travelling at lightspeed or more, it seems mathematically true. But when we do <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000">_______________________________________________<br /></font><font size="2"><em>SpeedFreek</em></font> </p> </div>