How Fast, How Soon (1,000,000mph--100,000mph)

[mikejz]

I am wondering everyones opinion on around what timeframe they see an increase of the speed of space travel. IE when do you think we will be able to send probes out at 100,000 and 1,000,000mph?

 

[vogon13]

Pioneer 11 briefly hit speeds in lower part of your range when close to Jupiter. German Helios probes to solar vicinity also reached similar speeds at perihelion.<br /><br />Of course, you are asking about craft departing ISS for Sedna or some other exotic destination at these interesting velocities, and although there is stuff on drawing board (ion engine, Vasimir, Orion, Dean Drive, etc.) not sure anything to be launched next week or next month. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[robnissen]

"How useful really are ultra-high speeds? 1,000,000mph would get you to Saturn in fairly short order, but the flyby would be so fast that observations would be severely compromised."<br /><br />I don't know about 1 Million/hour, but certainly 100K/hour would be very useful in terms of a manned misssion to Mars. 1 Million/hour would have a couple of problems, slowing down, as well as increased danger from small impacts. 100k however, would greatly speed up the trip to Mars, not only would that mean less supplies, less radiaiton exposure, but also less distance to travel because Mars would not have rotated away as far from its closet point to Earth.

 

[pizzaguy]

Cool, anvel ! You said it well: 1,000,000 miles an hour just to create even MORE problems.<br /><br />If we went to the trouble of getting to 1,000,000 mile an hour - <i><b>we would STILL be going 1/670 of light speed.</b></i> That's 2400 years to get to our nearest neighbor. <br /><br />Interstellar space travel - cool idea for a movie, but not real science.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1"><em>Note to Dr. Henry:  The testosterone shots are working!</em></font> </div>