The movies are one thing, but this is how science may actually get us there.
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00:00Travelling at the speed of light would likely be crucial for traversing the cosmos.
00:08After all, most vast distances in space are measured by light years.
00:11But is there any real way for mankind to ever move that fast, according to Einstein?
00:16Not really.
00:17But there could be hope.
00:18His theory of relativity explains that as an object with mass gets closer and closer
00:21to travelling at the speed of light, the more and more energy it would need to achieve it.
00:25The math works out that you would need an infinite amount of energy to ever pass the
00:29light speed threshold.
00:30But again, that's for objects with mass.
00:32ScienceAlert points out that theoretical tachyons, or particles with what is sometimes called
00:37imaginary mass, are always travelling the speed of light.
00:40These particles are theoretical, but they are also theoretically always going backwards
00:44in space-time.
00:45So, possibly good for time travel, but even if they're real, likely not going to help
00:49us with space travel.
00:50However, Einstein's theory of relativity does suggest the existence of wormholes is
00:54possible.
00:55Where we fly an object into one point in space, and are deposited elsewhere, possibly thousands,
01:00millions, or even billions of light years away.
01:02Now we just have to find one.