Earth Science: Geology, the Environment, and the UniverseChapter 31: Galaxies and the UniverseProblem of the WeekTo Infinity and Beyond: Can We Really Go There? For thousands of years man has looked out into the night sky, and has seen the stars of the Milky Way, and for a long time, believed that the space above them was finite. Then, over time, as discussed in this chapter, we have found that space extends beyond "forever," and in that beyond, we learn that there are other galaxies, black holes, as of yet unidentified phenomenon, and space, lots of space. Space inspires the imagination, and its immensity is mind-boggling. The distances between objects in space, about which we talk about so matter-of-factly, are far beyond our wildest dreams to travel. Even so, we continue to dream, and to travel to the far reaches of space with science, technology, and the imagination. In the world of science fiction we hear terms such as "hyper-drive," "starburst," "warp-speed," "slipstream technology," and "worm holes." Each of these, in the realm of the imagination, is a means of overcoming the sheer distances and the incredible lengths of time it would take to travel from one place in the galaxy to the next, within reasonable amounts of time. The world of science fiction often seems so commonplace; we forget the reality of our ability, or perhaps our inability, to travel great distances in space. Problem:
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