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If there was time travel, I would go back in time and convince my previous self to go back in time in the future to that very same spot, and I would do that a billion times until I had a billion versions of myself in one spot, where my collective billionness would design and build a Super Mega Space Battleship of Doom and use that to conquer the known universe. Oh wait, I did do that, in the future... or was it the past? Either way, consider yourself warned.

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My apologies to anyone offended. NO, I don't believe that Pres. Bush lost in FL, it was the opinion given by the author saying to check the voting demographics of the Gore/Bush election to illustrate the protagonists of the "civil war" in a subtle manner. I despise liberals and everything they stand for.

If you follow the writings of Adair, Hawkins, Kiko, and the top physicists, all agree (very recently) that time travel is inevitable. They feel the secret is locked in the "string theory", or the "theory of everything" that no one has come up with yet..

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There are a bunch of theoretical physicists working on string theory. I'm not sure who you would classify as "real." I'm guessing you're using real and reputable in the same context.  Over 300 physicists are working on the theory world wide.

The problem with string theory is it forms a nice neat package for the math of unifying all the forces, once the math to assemble and solve the equation is invented and/or discovered, but there is the small matter of observation. Without observation the theory cannot be tested, and the methods of observation haven't been determined yet.

Other than being incomplete in its math and not observable, it's a nice theory.

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Other than being incomplete in its math and not observable, it's a nice theory.

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Thank God someone out there doesn't think I'm a complete idiot. By the way, the careers of theoretical physicists at major Universities depend on the "grants" given their departments. They are not inclined to "step on too many toes..." by supporting radical new ideas.

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Research careers are controlled by your ability to publish in major journals, not departments.

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Tenured Professors (who lost grants) don't get fired but there will be a substantial reduction in their allocated research time.

Use "Google", check "Philadelphia Experiment" and eat crow.

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Hey, DK!  Do you suppose you could get a grant to answer duffuses with crazy "theories" on an internet board? [:D]

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It's NOT a theory.  A defining characteristic of a theory is that it has to be falsifyable.

If it is not falsifyable, it is NOT a theoyr.  It is a story, fairy tale or a philosphy, but not a theory.  Sorry- that's the fundamental definition of the word "theory"

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I guess you missed the humor in the whole thing. Try not being wrapped so tight and you might have found a bit of humor in my post.

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Sorry - you were being quite even-handed, and I over-reacted.  It's a pet peeve of mine when people use the term "theory" incorrectly.

My bad - sorry I jumped all over you.

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No problemo. I was trying to make fun of it being a theory in a [red]more circumspect[/red] manner.

For those who don't care about the techincal definition of theory, String Theory, as it is known, it's just a huge SWAG with at least five different variations on the theme that tries to unify all the forces of nature, quantum physics, the kitchen sink, etc.

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It's disappointing there's such a "closed mindedness" apparent in this forum. The original pioneering spirit and inquiring mind that made this country great has died off. Or been diluted.

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Where's john Titor now ? There is a straight jacket with his name on it somewhere, here.

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It's disappointing there's such a "closed mindedness" apparent in this forum. The original pioneering spirit and inquiring mind that made this country great has died off. Or been diluted.

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DK-Prof, you are dead wrong re: String Theory.  It is a valid theory, and it is "falisfyable."  If we had built the SSC in Waco Texas we would already know.  When the Euro's complete their version, we will know.

Turboman, please ...(deleted rant).  So many things to respond to, but... failure to "believe" does not make one a pawn of the government.  Quite the opposite, it is objective thought that has destroyed tyrants for the last several centuries.  "Belief" brings slavery.  [red]Logic, facts, and the TRUTH will set you free.  The website you posted is a joke.[/red]

So where do we start? Well let us start with one of the greatest triumphs of the human mind, the great theorem of Pythagoras, a true pillar of all mathematics and physics. The theorem, which is applicable to right angled triangles in flat Cartesian (Newtonian) space takes the form of:

c^2 = a^2 + b^2

where a, b and c are the lengths of the sides of the triangle.

Next we will jump straight to Einstein's theory of Relativity which states that neither time, length, or indeed mass remain constant additive quantities when approaching the speed of light c. Our simple ideas of time and space come from the fact the we are so used to living in a three dimensional universe. Einstein showed that this was simply not true and in fact all the "foundational" three laws of Newton have to be fudged by the Lorentz factor

L_f = (1 - v^2/c^2)^-1/2

There are, however, certain quantities that do remain constant. These constants are related to four-dimensional quantities known as metric tensors. From this Einstein proved that space and time are two aspects of the same thing and that matter and energy are also two aspects of the same thing. From the second of these concepts we get the most famous equation in physics

E = mc^2

Now since time and space are aspects of space-time and we wish to travel through time and not build atom bombs we will leave E=mc^2 for the moment. To illustrate this, look at the extension of Pythagorean theorem for the distance, d, between two points in space:

d^2 = x^2 + y^2 + z^2

where x, y and z are the lengths, or more correctly the difference in the co-ordinates, in each of the three spatial directions. This distance remains constant for fixed displacements of the origin.

In Einstein's relativity the same equation is modified to remain constant with respect to displacement (and rotation), but not with respect to motion. For a moving object, at least one of the lengths from which the distance, d, is calculated is contracted relative to a stationary observer. The equation now becomes:

d^2 = x^2 + y^2 + z^2 (1-v^2/c^2)^1/2

and this implies that the distances all shrink as one moves faster, so does this mean there are no constant distances left in the universe? The answer is that there are because of Einstein's revolutionary concept of space-time where time is distance and distance is time! So now

s^2 = x^2 + y^2 + z^2 - ct^2

and this new distance s (remember s stands for Space-time) does indeed remain constant for all who are in relative motion. This distance is said to be a Lorentz transformation invariant and has the same value for all inertial observers. Since the equation mixes time and space up we have to always think in terms of this new concept: space-time!

Then one runs into the problem of 'outside dating'. Meaning, as the traveler manipulates space-time, the rest of the universe ages normaly. Then we must take inter-dimensional transition into account. Once a hole is ripped into a dimensions fabric, it follows whatever entered the rip. Once the travler enters the new dimension, he commences his engines to reach the c speed (speed of light), and travels through time. The rip on the travelers side will stay in the same geographic location, while traveling through time, while the rip on the new dimension will follow the traveler. Once the desired time is reached, the travelar reenters the rip, and he has effectively traveled through time))

From http://communities.anomalies.net/cgi-bin/bbs/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=9&t=000024 posted 02-15-2001 11:45 AM by John Titor
The Physics of Time Travel:

ACCELERATION = TIME DIALATION
As pointed out earlier, acceleration will produce time dilation. This can be observed by the “twins paradox”. As one twin stays on Earth, the other twin in his accelerating spaceship experiences a slower passing of time. When he returns to Earth, he is noticeably younger than his twin who aged normally in Earth time. This type of "time travel" (should have been proven already on this worldline) with atomic clock experiments. With sufficient power, this type of time travel will only provide practical displacement in a future direction. This type of time travel is also isolated to a single worldline. You will not meet yourself.

GRAVITY = ACCELERATION
As Einstein pointed out with his STR, the effects of gravity and acceleration are the same. Therefore, you will experience the same time travel effects in the twin paradox by being close to a large gravity source. In the atomic clock experiments mentioned above, the reason there was a difference in time was not because the clock in the plane was moving, it was because the clock in the well was closer to the center of the Earth. Constant speed is not acceleration.

LARGE GRAVITY = STATIC BLACK HOLE
The next step is to find a large gravity source to use in your time machine. Static black holes provide this type of power. As one twin approaches the event horizon or edge of the black hole, the other twin will watch him as he appears to slow down. He will notice his twin’s watch run slower until it stops at the event horizon. The twin moving toward the horizon will notice none of this and see his watch running just fine. Although possible, a trip into a static black hole will not take you to another worldline and it’s one-way. The force of gravity will crush you.

ROTATING BLACK HOLE = DONUT-SHAPED SINGULARITY
Fortunately, most black holes are not static. They spin. Spinning black holes are often referred to as Kerr black holes. A Kerr black hole has two interesting properties. One, they have two event horizons and two, the singularity is not a point, it looks more like a donut. These odd properties also have a pronounced affect on the black hole’s gravity. There are vectors where you can approach the singularity without being crushed by gravity. (For those interested in seeing a graphic of a photon trip through a Kerr black hole, try here) http://qso.lanl.gov/~bromley/nu_nofun.html

DONUT-SHAPED SINGULARITY = PASSAGE INTO ALTERNATE WORLDLINE
Another other more interesting result of passing through a donut singularity is that you travel through time by passing into another universe or worldline. Please see Penrose diagrams for Kerr Black holes or you can examine the calculations of Frank Tipler.

So now the problem becomes . . . where do we find a donut-shaped singularity?

A PONDERING HAWKING = MICROSINGULARITY
Steven Hawking proposed the existence of microsingularities that were created in the big bang. They were probably about the size of a proton and disappeared over the years due to an effect of radiation evaporation. (Yes, black holes do emit energy.)

HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS = ARTIFICIAL MICROSINGULARITY
When I first started posting online a few months ago, I said that major breakthroughs in particle physics were around your corner. Soon, CERN will bring their big machine on line and they will be smashing very fast and high-energy particles together. One of the more odd and potentially dangerous items produced from this incease in energy will be microsingularities a fraction of the size of an electron. (for those who would like to follow the developments at CERN) http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/Welcome.html

ARTIFICIAL MICROSINGULARITY = LOCALIZED KERR FIELD
Through trial and error, and although they are quite heavy, hot and capable of putting out a great deal of energy (300 - 500 megawatts), it's discovered that these microsingularities can be electrified and captured. It is also interesting to note at this point that electrified singularities also have two event horizons. By spinning these various microsingularities, a localized Kerr field is created.

LOCALIZED KERR FIELD = TIPLER SINUSOID
By using two microsingularites in close proximity to each other, it is possible to create, manipulate and alter the Kerr fields to create a Tipler gravity sinusoid. This field can be adjusted, rotated and moved in order to simulate the movement of mass through a donut-shaped singularity and into an alternate world line. Thus, safe time travel.

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Hell id play the market and make killing

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Can you provide some of these specific predictions that are falsifyable?

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... all good stuff ...

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I'm sorry I was unclear,

I was actually asking for specific falsifyable predictions from STRING THEORY - because I do not believe it is a theory.

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Does China have a manned space program between 2001 and 2036?

I believe they are pretty close to putting a man in orbit.

That happened in 2003

Shenzhou Chronology
01 April 1992 Chinese manned space programme authorised

The Chinese leadership decided that an independent manned space program could be afforded. The Chinese National Manned Space Program was given the designation Project 921. The 921-1 manned capsule entered full scale development in 1993 and the 921-2 space station in 1999. Only preliminary work was authorised on the 921-3 reusable spaceplane.

01 January 1993 Development of Shenzhou manned spacecraft begins

The 921-1 manned capsule entered full scale development in 1993 and the 921-2 space station in 1999.

01 December 1997 Chinese Astronauts Complete Training in Russia

Two Chinese astronauts completed their training in Russia and returned to China. They would act as instructors for China's own astronaut training program. At the same time the largest thermal vacum test equipment in Asia finished construction.

19 March 1998 Beijing Space Conference

Chinese papers at the meeting sketched details of future planned missions. China was likely to begin its manned flights with a single orbit around Earth, and later launch its lunar 'quest'. Existing Chinese launchers had the capability to send scientific devices, but not humans, to the moon -- it could take up to eight years to design a lunar spacecraft. Feasibility studies on trips to the moon and Mars had begun. Participants called for greater international cooperation in space and the lifting of an apparent freeze on China's participation in major joint projects. They resented China's exclusion from the International Space Station.

12 April 1998 Timetable for Chinese Manned Flight

A Guangzhou newspaper said that the first Chinese astronaut would fly by 2001. It also mentioned lunar and space station plans. This was the one of a series of reports about Chinese space plans of the period.

21 April 1998 Chinese Manned Spacecraft Launch Set for 1999

Preparations for the first test launch of China's first manned spacecraft were underway at the launch site, a Shanghai newspaper reported. It said the first flight would be launched in late 1999. The space cabin, telemetry system and power system had been developed in Shanghai.

06 January 1999 Plans for Chinese Manned Flight Officially Reported

The official Chinese Liberation Daily reported that a Chinese manned flight would take place "by the end of this century or the beginning of the next," . This would make China the first country in more than 30 years to join the United States and Russia in the exclusive club of manned mission launchers.

18 January 1999 Chinese tracking fleet upgraded

A sixteen month overhaul of China's space tracking fleet was completed in Shanghai. The upgraded ships were capable of global tracking and control with a 400-fold increase in data transfer rates. The fleet was now ready for support of the first test launch of a Chinese manned spacecraft. To support this, for the first time three Yuanwang tracking ships would be deployed in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans.

12 February 1999 China to Test Reusable Spacecraft at the end of 2000

China planned to launch its own re-usable "space shuttle" with a maiden unmanned mission at the end of next year, said an astronomical engineer in charge of one of dozens of scientific research payloads that will be aboard. The engineer said the lift-capacity problems have already been resolved and he had been briefed on the cost of the Chinese shuttle but that he could not reveal it, as the information is classified. (AFP)

01 March 1999 Chinese Manned Space Plans

Zhang Heqi, the chief astronomer of the Chinese space program said that an earlier report regarding a Chinese 'shuttle' was incorrect - 'It is a manned spacecraft, not a shuttle'. There was to be an unmanned launch in one or two years. A manned launch would follow this test in the next few years.The first unmanned spacecraft might carry animals to pave the way for future manned flights. It was also reported that China had selected several astronaut candidates from PLA Air Force fighter pilots.

11 March 1999 Chinese Man-Rated Launch Vehicle Test Predicted Launch Vehicle: CZ-2F.

It was reported on the Internet that the maiden flight of a new version of the CZ-2E designed to carry a manned vehicle would be made by mid-1999.

01 May 1999 Manned Program Delayed Launch Vehicle: CZ-2F.

Far eastern newspapers reported an accident at Jiuquan Launch Center late May 1999. It was said that a fuel depot exploded, resulting in casualties and delaying the first manned vehicle launch originally scheduled for October.

09 June 1999 CZ-2F Photograph Appears on the Internet Launch Vehicle: CZ-2F.

A photograph of the CZ-2F manned spacecraft launch vehicle and its vertical assembly building was posted anonymously on the Internet. It was said to have been taken in May 1998 at the Jiuquan launch site by a contruction contractor. Some believed the photograph to be a phony but events later proved it to be real and a deliberate leak.

16 July 1999 Chinese Manned Program Announcement

Zhang Lihui, Director of Research and Development at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), said that a development plan for manned-space flight technology was issued by the Chinese State Council in 1992 and that China was on track to launch a manned space flight by early in the next century. This was the first direct official acknowledgement of such a program.

18 July 1999 New Tracking Ship Joins Yuan Wang Fleet

A new space tracking ship, Yuan Wang 4, was delivered to China Satellite Launch and Tracking Control General by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation. This was the fourth tracking ship in China's Yuan Wang space tracking fleet. The Yuan Wang 4 tracking ship was converted from the scientific survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 10. The announcment also contained the second announcement that the fleet would deploy for a major new operation (a test of a manned spacecraft) within the next year. The Yuan Wang 4 was 156.09 m long, 20.6 m wide along the mold-line, and had a displacement of 10,895 tons.

19 November 1999 Shenzhou Mass: 7,600 kg. Perigee: 196 km. Apogee: 324 km. Inclination: 42.6 deg.

The unmanned first test flight of a prototype of the Chinese Project 921-1 spacecraft took place 49 days after the planned date of October 1, 1999. Shenzhou separated from its launch vehicle and went into orbit about ten minutes after lift-off. The spacecraft was controlled from the new Beijing Aerospace Directing and Controlling Centre. The spacecraft did not manoeuvre during the flight.


After 14 orbits of the earth, the Yuanwang-3 tracking ship off the coast of Namibia picked up the spacecraft's signal at 18:49 UT, and commanded retro-fire. The spacecraft passed out of range of the tracking ship nine minutes later. Its trajectory arced over Africa, skimmed the coast of the Arabian peninsula, and then over Pakistan, before re-entering over Tibet.


Following re-entry, the drogue chute deployed at an altitude of 30 km with the capsules soft-landing rockets firing 1.5 m above the ground. The capsule landed at 41 deg N, 105 deg E, (415 km East of its launch pad and 110 km north-west of Wuhai, Inner Mongolia), at November 20 19:41 UT. The spacecraft had completed 14 orbits of the earth in 21 hours and 11 minutes.


After the flight it was reported that not a single primary spacecraft system had failed, so none of the back-up systems were tested. The touchdown point was only 12 km from the predicted position. The soft landing braking rocket worked well - no damage was found to the capsule structure, heat shield or the seals. The jettisoned heat shield, parachute hatch, and drogue chute were found within 5 km of the landing point. The orbital module, which separated prior to retro-fire, continued in controlled flight until 27 November, when it decayed and reentered the atmosphere. A primary payload returned by Shenzhou were 100 kg of seeds, considered valuable to the Chinese after one day of exposure to the space environment. The Chinese space tracking fleet returned from the Shenzhou mission between 12 December 1999 and 4 January 2000. During their 259-day voyage, the four ships traveled 185,000 km and experienced some heavy seas while tracking and communicating with the Shenzhou for a total of 150 minutes. Additional Details: Shenzhou (18859).

30 November 1999 Shenzhou Chief Designer Revealed

Qi Faren, the General Designer of the Shenzhou had participated in the design of China's first satellite and was appointed the general designer of Chinese spacecraft in 1992. During the ensuing seven years, Qi directed and co-ordinated his thousand-strong team to '...make a breakthrough in China's manned space travel technology. We are now losing no time in furthering our research. We plan to send humans into space as soon as possible'.

04 January 2000 Chinese tracking fleet returns

The Chinese space tracking ship "Yuanwang 3" has returned to the Jiangnan Port of Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province after successfully completing its mission with China's first experimental spacecraft "Shenzhou." The other three ships, Yuanwang 1, 2 and 4, returned from their missions earlier. During their 259-day voyage, the four ships traveled some 62, 000 nautical miles and experienced some heavy seas while tracking and communicating with the "Shenzhou" for a total of 150 minutes. (People's Daily) --- note the December 12 news (all 4 ships return) on this site is not precise.

13 December 2000 China Tracking Station in Namibia

China and Namibia signed an agreement to build a tracking, telemetry and space research station (TTST) in Namibia to support China's manned space program. The station would cover an area of 150 by 85 metres and consist of an administration building and two antennae.

06 January 2001 Yuan Wang deployed for Shenzhou 2 flight

China reported that the four Yuan Wang tracking ships celebrated the New Year on remote oceans. Yuan Wang 1 and 2 were in the Pacific Ocean, Yuan Wang 4 had arrived in the Indian Ocean, and Yuan Wang 3 was en route to the Atlantic Ocean.

09 January 2001 Shenzhou 2 Mass: 7,400 kg. Perigee: 330 km. Apogee: 346 km. Inclination: 42.6 deg.

The second unmanned test flight of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft design carried a monkey, a dog and a rabbit in a test of the spaceship's life support systems. Shenzhou 2 was not only a test of the future manned spacecraft but also the most ambitious space science laboratory ever launched by China. It carried 64 scientific payloads: 15 in the re-entry module, 12 in the orbital module and 37 on the forward external pallet. These included a micro-gravity crystal growing device; life sciences experiments with 19 species of animals and plants, cosmic ray and particle detectors; and China's first gamma ray burst detectors. Shenzhou 2 made three orbit-raising manoeuvres during its flight, reaching a 330 x 345 km orbit by the end of the initial phase of the mission. The descent module and service modules then separated from the forward orbital module and external pallet. After retrofire by the service module, it separated and the descent module landed at 11:22 GMT on January 16 in Inner Mongolia. Lack of post-recovery photographs led to speculation that the recovery may not have been completely successful. The Shenzhou orbital module had its own solar panels and remained operational in orbit, conducting scientific experiments. It was actively controlled for six months, maneuvering in orbit several times (reaching a final orbit of 394 x 405 km). It then was allowed to decay and reentered the atmosphere at 09:05 GMT on August 24, 2001. The reentry point was near 33.1 deg S in latitude and 260.4 deg E in longitude, over the western Pacific Ocean between Easter Island and Chile.

02 November 2001 Namibia Tracking Station Completed

China completed construction of a tracking, telemetry and command station in Swakopmund, Namibia, Africa.

25 March 2002 Shenzhou 3 Mass: 7,800 kg. Perigee: 374 km. Apogee: 379 km. Inclination: 42.4 deg.

The third unmanned test of the Shenzhou spacecraft was placed into an initial 197 x 326 km x 42.4 deg orbit at 1425 UTC. At about 2120 UTC Shenzhou used its own engine to raise its orbit to 332 x 337 km. The capsule included a dummy astronaut instrumented to monitor life support systems. The descent module returned to Earth on April 1 at 0851 UTC, landing in Inner Mongolia. The orbital module remained in orbit to carry out further experiments, finally being deorbited on 12 November 2002.

29 December 2002 Shenzhou 4 Mass: 7,800 kg. Perigee: 331 km. Apogee: 337 km. Inclination: 42.4 deg. Duration: 6.77 days.

Fourth unmanned test of the Shenzhou spacecraft. First night launch of the CZ-2F was viewed by Party leaders on a very cold but clear night. The spacecraft carried fifty-two science payloads in four main areas: microwave Earth observation, space environment monitoring, microgravity fluid physics, and biological technology research. The spacecraft's reentry capsule was successfully recovered on 5 January 2003 at 1116 UT. The Chinese released the news and photographs of the capsule in the dusk snow only an hour later. The landing site was 40 km from Hohhot (40.51deg N, 111.38 deg E). As in prior missions, the orbital module continued in orbit. Chinese astronauts trained on the actual flight hardware before the launch and it was officially announced that this successful mission set the stage for a first Chinese manned spaceflight in the second half of 2003. Western observors noted that the orbit and ground track allowed launch of a second rendezvous vehicle, an indication of future manned space station missions.