Episode 658: Open Space 80: Will We Ever Get Close to the Speed of Light? And More...

In this week's live Open Space, people wanted to know if solar sails really work, will we ever get close to the speed of light, what's the best way to get out of Venus' gravity well, and more? 01:46 Do solar sails really work? 02:48 Will we ever get close to the speed of light? 06:22 Best way to get off Venus? 08:45 What about the standard candle? 11:45 Why is it so hard to get to Mercury? 14:15 Could FTL escape a black hole? 15:10 How did the astronauts deal with regolith? 18:12 Could there be liquid water on Mercury? 19:41 What's the best place on Earth to look through a telescope? 21:01 Does the regolith get into spacesuits? 22:20 Could an Alcubiere Drive get out of a black hole? 23:15 Do I ever use the telescope behind me? 24:08 Why is the speed of light so disproportionate to the size of the Universe? 26:07 Do I use the RASA? 27:03 How will I watch Crew Dragon? 28:00 Could we build a particle accelerator on the Moon? 30:16 What if another system collided with us? 32:32 Is it worth launching visible light telescopes? 34:22 Would I live in orbit for a month? 36:20 Should we colonize Mars? 39:50 Where will we find life in the Solar System? 41:00 Will bigger rockets make simpler big telescopes possible? 45:49 Why is Andromeda heading towards us? 46:19 Do I believe in alternate universes? 47:26 Any good ideas for space debris? 50:31 Could a black hole eat a supernova? 53:14 What space problem keeps me up at night? 56:19 Is the Planck scale the resolution of the Universe? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com