Conjecture > Speculation > Science > Technology > Application.
 

If you could control gravity or inertial forces, you would have a propulsion breakthrough (thrusting without rockets), a means to create synthetic gravity environments for space crews, a means to create zero-gravity environment on Earth - hey that could be fun - and a whole host of other things.

Like "Warp Drives", this subject is also at the level of speculation, with some facets edging into the realm of science. We are at the point where we know what we do know and know what we don’t, and there is a lot that we don’t know. The better news is that there is no science that says that gravity control is impossible.

First, we do know that gravity and electromagnetism are linked phenomena. We are quite adept at controlling electromagnetic phenomena, so one can presume that such a connection might eventually lead to using our control of electromagnetism to control gravity. General Relativity, another one of Einstein’s doings, is one way to describe such connections. Another way is through new theories from quantum mechanics that link gravity and inertia to something called "vacuum fluctuations."

Is this subject being studied?

Historically, gravity has been studied in the general sense, but not very much from the point of view of seeking propulsion breakthroughs. With the newly formed NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics program, that situation is changing.




So, can we do it?


Not until we get the required breakthroughs in physics.


Right now we don’t even know if practical interstellar travel is possible. Just because we don’t know how to do something today, however, doesn’t mean that it is impossible. There is a historical pattern that has emerged where the grand visions of yesterday’s science fiction inspired today’s reality. Maybe the same will happen with today’s science fiction.


A long time ago, Jules Verne wrote a story about sending people to the moon by blasting them out of a giant cannon. That story inspired a whole host of rocketry pioneers who pondered how to make such a journey a reality. Based on the science of their day, they were eventually able to create visions of how to achieve such a feat -- using rockets instead of cannons. And, when all the conditions were right, these visions evolved into reality.

Now, we look back over 45 years to our landing people on the moon and bringing them back safely.


We need visionaries to forge science into technical realities
Are you the next Faraday, Einstein, Goddard, Von Braun...?




http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/te...p/inspinv.html

If you could control gravity or inertial forces, you would have a propulsion breakthrough (thrusting without rockets) yes I have

we know what we do know and know what we don’t, and there is a lot that we don’t know Unfortunately eyes wide SHUT!!!! especially on this ABC staffed forum

We need visionaries to forge science into technical realities
Are you the next Faraday, Einstein, Goddard, Von Braun...? And then declare War On The World... belligerence/aggression/genocide is no sane person's cup of tea

Any scientist worth their cup of tea would rather die.

sometimes I really wonder

No you haven't.
No-one has or are ever likely to.



Which it isn't.

Hehehehe...From one extreme to the other!

With regards to the thread title:

Conjecture: The very beginning of the quest for knowledge. This is when you know what you’d like to accomplish, but you have no idea if it is even possible.


Speculation: When you have learned enough to know what you do know, and know what you don’t toward solving the problem.


Science: The level when you have learned how nature works. You now know if something can be done and what it will involve.


Technology: The level when you can begin to engineer and build working devices to apply those laws of nature to answer your goal.


Application: The final state when the technology is good enough to be put to common use. Cars, airplanes, microwave ovens are all in this category.

And of course NASA Engineers, that which you are not, disagree with that.

Ref?

The laws of physics where reality is not required.

Why not? We've learned to manipulate one fundamental force, why not the others? Is there something intrinsically so different about them that we can't ever hope to?

i'm waiting for the higgs to be mentioned.

The energy levels required are way beyond anything would could every likely be able to generate.
Now if you actually read what I said, I didn't say it was impossible, only unlikely - It may be possible to fine ways to get past the requirement for such high energy levels but at the moment we have no idea on how to do that.

First, we do know that gravity and electromagnetism are linked phenomena. Do we? Can you expand on the way in which they are linked?


We are quite adept at controlling electromagnetic phenomena, Well we can remove a magnetic field by removing the source of the magnetism, but we can do that with gravity as well. I don't know that we can remove a magnetic field any other way can we?


so one can presume that such a connection might eventually lead to using our control of electromagnetism to control gravity We already can, but does this give any prospect of being useful for anything other than very local effects?

If so how?

TCH - I'm not having a go at BC, I'd really like to know what is behind his thinking on this,and your put-downs are not likely to help.

Do we? Can you expand on the way in which they are linked? i was thinking the same question and from what i can gather is that light is bent by gravity so it "interacts". it got a bit beyond me after that.

You very well know his 'thinking' behind this, and it requires the removal of reality to achieve it.
I choose to not encourage the posting of waffling rubbish here.

I did read what you said, forgive me for thinking "nor are we ever likely to" was you giving up hope.

But anyway, if high energy requirements are our only concern, I would have thought that it wasn't that unlikely given enough time. Although, it might mean it's not worth doing in the first place.

What has reality got to do with the laws of physics?
And which laws of physics says gravity cannot be manipulated?

PMSL!

I almost choked on my coffee. OMG GOLD!!

An analogy - We could, right now, decide that we could combat global warming by building a really big rocket on the equator and firing so that it moved the Earth further away from the Sun so we'd be a bit cooler.
It's possible, but the rocket would have to be so large it would cover most of the Earth and be impractical.
Some time in the future we may find ways around these huge barriers but for the foreseeable future we are still very limited by them. You can imagine all you like, but reality will bite you in the arse every time.

My point exactly.
We really need to stop feeding the troll, etc.