Space Travel

Space Travel	Created: 11-May-2016
	Last updated: 31-Oct-2020
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Sections

1	Problems All Humans Face With Space Travel	2	Solutions to Space Travel
3	Scriptures dealing with traveling in Space	4	Humans Eventually Travel to Other Stars?
5	Scientific Source Links for NASA Information

Problems All Humans Face With Space Travel

The problem that faces all human beings that travel outside the protection of the Earth's magnetic field shield is:

(1) Space Radiation
(2) Cosmic Rays

which is commonly known as Cosmic Radiation.

Astronauts have reported seeing white flashes which were caused by cosmic rays or high-energy particles, passing through their heads.

From an article on NASA website:

Health risks from radiation exposure may be described in terms of acute effects and long term risks. The extent and severity of acute effects is determined by the type and amount of radiation exposure, and they range from mild and recoverable effects, such as nausea and vomiting, to central nervous system damage and even death. Long term risks include development of cataracts and an increase in the probability of the development of cancer. Results from animal experiments show that the biological damage to the central nervous system which is unique to the high-energy, heavy ions encountered in space is similar to that associated with aging. There is experimental evidence that radiation encountered in space is more effective at causing the type of biological damage that ultimately leads to cancer than gamma or x-rays commonly encountered on Earth."

An increase in cancer risk is the principal concern for astronaut exposure to space radiation, and it is one risk that persists after landing. This concern arises from the fact that exposure to radiation of sufficient energy causes ionizations of the molecules of living cells. At low doses, such as that which we receive every day from background radiation, cells can repair the damage rapidly. At higher doses, the cells may not be able to repair themselves and they can either be changed permanently or die.

Solutions to Space Travel

As of April 2019, NASA and Aerospace Engineers have been earnestly looking for a solution to the Radiation and Cosmic Rays problem where the possible solutions thus far involve one or a combination of the following. Note that Space Radiation and Cosmic Rays, that get inside of the Space Craft, can bounce around and do not always pass straight through the Craft

Create a magnetic shield surrounding the Space Craft. This would involve a super conducting ribbon to make the magnetic shield. Note that a wire could not withstand the electrical energy requirements before burning up.
Surround the Space Craft with layers of water to absorb the Space Radiation and Cosmic Rays.
Surround the Space Craft with several feet of Aluminum
The most promising solution currently involves the use of Polyethylene.

Other Health Considerations and Notes

The current Space Station that is in low Earth orbit is still benefiting from the magnetic field of the Earth, although not completely.
Sustained Space Travel still has other requirements needed to maintain health of the inhabitants dealing with gravity to prevent bone and muscle loss, breathable air and water to name just a few areas.
Besides the problem of mankind dealing with Radiation and Cosmic Rays, mankind has a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that is essential to mankind's health. These bacteria are the gut micro-biota that is essential for host body's digestive system, immune system along with essential existence on mankind's skin and in the brain which influences modes. This micro-biota also has to be considered in Space Travel because their health is required also. On earth, micro-biota is replenished, according to Biologists through the environment and foods we eat. We are also born with the micro-biota and this also has to be considered when dealing with future colonies in Space where child birth occurs.
NASA is looking at the possibility of manned spacecraft traveling to Mars. With the current rocket technology in 2018, the trip is a 18 month trip round trip according to NASA publications which require the Earth and Mars line up is at its best. https://www.space.com/24701-how-long-does-it-take-to-get-to-mars.html
NASA is also looking at putting a Space Station in the Earth's Moon's orbit and/or a Space Station on the Earth's Moon which will be inhabited only some of the time.
It has been proposed that an outpost on the Earth's moon could sustain mankind if the shelters were built underground for protection.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/charting-a-course-for-astronaut-safety-as-nasa-launches-to-the-moon-and-to-mars

Scriptural information dealing with traveling in Space

This author accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior in the Fall of 1983. Back then there were a few Christian Radio Stations and Christians often shared Cassette Tapes with one another after purchasing them from phone calls to ministries. I probably had over 100 cassette tapes that I collected and shared with others.

On one cassette tape from the 1980s by Emil Gaverluk, dealing with traveling in Space, Emil stated that the scriptures appear to infer that the Earth is man's dominion and the Heavens is God's dominion. In other words, God only gave dominion over the Earth in the scriptures to mankind.

Emil Gaverluk stated that he believes that the only protection God promises, for those who are traveling into Space, is for Believers in Jesus Christ. Emil has gone on to be the with Lord and was a fairly well-known Lecturer from his time working on many projects, books and staff with a few ministries such as Southwest Radio Church.

Note that unfortunately, there are Christian critics of some of Emil's theories, where this author always takes the position of 1 Thessalonians 5:18-21 to discern, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit what the scriptures are teaching. This author acknowledges there were some topics and beliefs of Emil Gaverluk that were unique, not provable, definitely false and controversial but there was some enlightening perspectives in a great deal of his research that many Christians might find very Faith building, rewarding and interesting. I own two books, written by Emil, where the best one is "The Rapture before the Russian Invasion of Israel."

1 Thessalonians 5:18-21

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

If memory serves, Emil Gaverluk on one of the cassette tapes, mentioned answering a question sent into the Southwest Radio Church in a letter from the Astronaut Neil Armstrong who asked:

"Will God stop us from traveling in Space?"

where Emil provided the scriptures listed below along with others, totaling seventeen, that can be applied to traveling into Space. Emil sadly said that when he put his response to Neil Armstrong in the mail it came back undeliverable. Referenced below are just a few of the scriptures that I had taken from notes on the cassette from so long ago. Note that God has always used patterns and secondary meanings in the scriptures. .

Will Humans Eventually Travel to Other Star Systems?

Before answering the question, consider this excerpt of two points from the ten points in the UFO topic:

The vast distance makes it impossible even if traveling fractions of the speed of light were possible to get to the closest stars that potentially have planets, which might host some alien civilizations. The well-known equation of E=mc² informs that the faster an objects travels then the mass of the object increases. As the object gets closer to the speed of light the object's mass reaches a size of infinity. Think about any space craft moving through space at any speed that is fractions of the speed of light, would increase in size and would consume more energy sources than it could carry. We cannot conceive reaching anywhere outside of our solar system without multiple of generations of humans spending their entire life spans in space to get to other parts of near-by solar systems where the space craft would also have to be of a size to keep food provisions, medical departments, water, etc. and room for agriculture with livestock. Rockets propulsions systems will have to be perfect without any mechanical failures as there is no repair stations along the way.

Considering three hypothetical spacecraft, that maintain a constant speed with adequate fuel, how long would it take to get to the triple star system Alpha Centauri, which is 4.3 light-years (25.6 trillion miles) away? (Note that many sources of calculations assume a spacecraft would be accelerating in speed over time, and not a constant speed as shown below. The problem is size/mass of the space craft would increase by laws of E=mc².)
(a) New Horizons, with a maximum speed of 36,373 mph.
(b) As of 2020, the fastest announced rocket speed will be 430,000 mph.
(c) If it were even possible to build something that goes at 10% the speed of light the time span of travel is still daunting.
(d) Assuming we overcome space travel problems for humans, energy, food, E=mc² problems and so many unknowns.

	Description	Value	Calculation
A	Speed of Light in miles per second in space	186,282.40
B	Distance Light can travel in one hour (miles)	670,616,629.20	(A * 60) * 60
C	Distance Light can travel in one day (miles)	16,094,799,100.80	B * 24
D	Distance Light can travel in one year (miles)	5,862,530,572,466.40	C * 364.25
E	Distance to Alpha Centauri in miles (approx.)	25,600,000,000,000.00
F	Distance Spacecraft can travel at 10% of Light Speed in a year	586,253,057,246.64	D * .1
G	Distance Spacecraft can travel at 430,000 MPH in a year	3,769,276,800	430,000 * 24 * 364.25
H	Distance Spacecraft can travel at 36,373 MPH in a year	318,836,988	37,373 * 24 * 364.25
I	Alpha Centauri from Earth at 10% Light Speed will take	43.7 years	E / F
J	Alpha Centauri from Earth at 430,000 mph will take	6,791.8 years	E / G
K	Alpha Centauri from Earth at 36,373 mph will take	80,291.8 years	E / H

The estimated travel times, from the calculation matrix above, to get to Alpha Centauri shows the reality that it is not possible:
    (d.1) 44 Years at 10% of light speed. As explained above 10% is not obtainable because of laws dealing with E=mc²
    (d.2) 6,792 Years at 430,000 mph
    (d.3) 80,292 Years at 36,373 mph

(e) Even if it becomes possible to harness zero-point energy, there are still all the problems mentioned above, and many more that have not been discovered. Plus there is no habitable planets at Alpha Centauri.
(f) An Earth-Size Planet was found in the 'Habitable Zone' on another Star System, but there are many factors such as the unknown quantity of water, breathable atmosphere, temperature, etc. along with the distance of 582 light-years to even get to Kepler-186f! Yes, there have been other planets in other star systems discovered, which are in the habitable-zone based on distance from star to planet, but there are still hundreds of other factors to make it habitable for human beings.

Therefore, regarding the question of whether humans will ever be able to travel to other star systems, the answer from two perspectives is:

No, from a Christian Perspective because:
(a) The technology required to be developed will take the creation of Space Stations as intermediary stopping points that would act as stepping-stones for humans to be able to handle the multiple hundreds to thousands of years to get to just the nearest star, Alpha Centauri or any other star system.
(b) The evidence of the plan of God dealing with Jesus Christ's Second Coming and Israel, through the Tribulation Purpose, would indicate we are near that time.
(c) The scriptures that state that God did not open the domain of the Universe to mankind, as listed above.
No, from a Scientific Perspective unless:
(a) After multiple hundreds to thousands of years from now, a united earth government will have to be able to build Space Stations as intermediary stopping points as discussed in 1.(a).
(b) The closest star system does not have any planets in the habitable exoplanets zone with the ability to be sustain humankind's needs. All of the list of potential earthlike planets discovered thus far are very vast light year distances away where astronomers can only guess on some factors that would be required to support life, besides the proximity of how close the planet is to its star.

The problem that human being have is our limitations from being constrained in a four dimensional universe system, where getting past the vast distances would require traveling in higher dimensions that is impossible for the biological constraints of humans.

Scientific Source Links for NASA Information

Source of the scientific information is largely obtained through NASA sources. And these:

https://www.epa.gov/radtown/cosmic-radiation
https://www.space.com/32644-cosmic-rays.html

What to read next?

See: (a) Time and Time Travel, (b) Time Domains, (c) Evolution, (d) Singularity and the Big Bang Theories, (e) E=mc², (f) Ten Dimensions of the Universe, (g) Age of the Earth, Periods that Developed Life, Heavens

1	Earth only	Genesis 1:28	God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Note that this only mentions the Earth.
2	Earth only Heaven is God's	Psalm 115:16	"The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to man." Note that this again points to a separation of ownership.
3	Protection for Christians in Space	Psalm 139:8	"If I ascend into heaven, You are there, if I make by bed in Sheol, behold you are there." This is a positive Scripture that can infer that if we travel into Space then God will be there for us.
4	Space belongs to God	Deuteronomy 10:14	"Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it." This Scripture emphasizes that God owns everything created so He can choose to protect those who go into Space.
5	Warning when in Space	Jeremiah 46:16	"As for the terror of you, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, O you who live in the clefts of the rock, Who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as an eagle's, I will bring you down from there," declares the LORD
6	Warning when in Space	Amos 9:2	"Though they dig into Sheol, From there will My hand take them; And though they ascend to heaven, From there will I bring them down.
7	Warning when in Space	Obadiah 1:4	"Though you build high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down," declares the LORD.
8	Warning when in Space	Job 20:5-9	5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless momentary? 6 "Though his loftiness reaches the heavens, And his head touches the clouds, 7 He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?' 8 "He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him; Even like a vision of the night he is chased away. 9 "The eye which saw him sees him no longer, And his place no longer beholds him.