• Question: I have seen from, tv programs and the news that spacecraft from another world seems to do many things like speed at high altitudes in a matter of minutes, warp into different objects, and hover over objects without the need to land. How is that possible? are there energy sources in the earth that Spacecraft find valuable as a power source like magnetic fields?

    Asked by anon-258065 on 29 Jun 2020.
    • Photo: James Smallcombe

      James Smallcombe answered on 29 Jun 2020:

      With our current technology and understanding of physics a lot of the feats of fictional spacecraft are out of reach. We can make large things (such as trains) levitate using magnetic fields, but these require a special floor/surface underneath them we can do it just anywhere.
      The earth’s magnetic field is incredibly weak, a typical fridge magnet is about x100 stronger. The earth’s field is strong enough to spin a compass needle or deflect radiation from space, but we would struggle to generate enough force to lift something as heavy as a space craft.
      Earth does contain lots of heavy radioactive elements we could dig out and use for nuclear rockets, but the risk of fallout means we generally stick with chemical engines.

    • Photo: Susan Cartwright

      Susan Cartwright answered on 29 Jun 2020:

      Let’s be clear: there is no evidence that real spacecraft from another world have ever visited Earth. Sightings of UFOs (when not deliberate hoaxes) are generally just that: unidentified flying objects. People are generally very bad at identifying objects in the sky: straightforward objects like conventional planes, bright planets and kites can look very unfamiliar in some circumstances. Unusual optical effects can also give the impression of being real objects – and this can explain why the “objects” in question appear to do physically impossible things.

      Fictional spacecraft from other worlds are of course not constrained by the laws of physics, and it is often convenient for the author to have them do things that are not, as far as we know, physically possible. Star Trek and Star Wars would not work as stories if faster-than-light travel were not possible. A few science fiction writers (notably Alastair Reynolds, who was a professional astronomer before his writing career took off) do stick with the laws of physics as we know them, but they are very much in the minority.

    • Photo: Scott Lawrie

      Scott Lawrie answered on 29 Jun 2020:

      Your question summarises nicely why they are called science FICTION stories 🙂 We are working on advanced technologies like hover cars and fast space ships, but we’re nowhere close to doing it yet. On the other hand, seeing two SpaceX rockets land simultaneously back on Earth is an AMAZING feat of technology, so some parts of Sci-Fi are indeed becoming Sci-Fact. Give it time 😀

Comments

  • Photo: anon-258065

    anon-258065 commented on :

    Suggesting that ‘there is no evidence that real spacecraft from another world have ever visited earth’ makes it sound like we are the only race in the galaxy.there are lots of evidence to suggest that UFOs have visited earth for e.g A UFO was captured in the late 1950’s hovering over a uranium site, a few minutes later miners find that the uranium in rocks have been sucked out from their core making the rocks useless for anything. This shows that some Ufos find sources on earth valuable to them to power their ‘crafts’.