March 22, 2006: Consider a pair of brothers, identical twins. One gets a job as an astronaut and rockets into deep space. The other stays on Earth. When the traveling twin returns home, he discovers he's younger than his brother.

This is Einstein's Twin Paradox, and although it sounds strange, it is absolutely true. The theory of relativity tells us that the faster you travel through space, the slower you travel through time. Rocketing to Alpha Centauri—warp 9, please—is a good way to stay young.

Or is it?

Some researchers are beginning to believe that space travel could have the opposite effect. It could make you prematurely old.

"The problem with Einstein's paradox is that it doesn't fold in biology—specifically, space radiation and the biology of aging," says Frank Cucinotta, NASA's chief scientist for radiation studies at the Johnson Space Center.

While the astronaut twin is hurtling through space, Cucinotta explains, his chromosomes are exposed to penetrating cosmic rays. This can damage his telomeres—little molecular "caps" on the ends of his DNA. Here on Earth, the loss of telomeres has been linked to aging.



What do you think?

I think that there are SO many unanswered questions about space travel, that it is going to take a long time ( fr longer than my lifetime ) to actually go anywhere outside our solar system.

By the way....great question, Whisper.

someone has to..might as well be me

it's all relative

The Flux capacitor is the device that traditionally fails in a spacecraft or time machine. The purpose is still somewhat unknown; however it seems to follow Murphy's law in that, at the most awkward moment, flux failure renders escape impossible. It seems that they only actually work when there is no imminent risk of harm or embarrasment. This forces the intrepid space or time traveller to face his fears, embarrassments , or undergo a character arc in some other fashion.

Flux capacitors are also responsible for every space related accident, from the Apollo XIII to the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters. However, scientists have yet to create spaceships without flux capacitors, because without the flux capacitor, something else would inevitably fail. The issue in each "accident" is obviously that the victims were not morally, physically and academically strong enough to muddle through the ethical issue that arose around the time of the flux problem.

The flux capacitor is rated to withstand 1.21 jigowatts when used in conjunction with plutonium or a lightning strike. Many have pondered the theoretical implications of two flux capacitors being used together. Some believe this would either end the world, create another Chuck Norris or both simultaneously.

At least with flux capacitors you know that there is the problem. The down side is that knowing what the problem is does not solve the moral dilemma faced.

Although the military application of flux capacitors has long been known, their high rate of failure is considered problematic. This was notably demonstrated in 1943 during the US Navy's Philadelphia Experiment. Following a series of test failures in which the frigate USS Eldridge failed to go anywhere, the flux capacitor was removed from the degaussing equipment, culminating in the spectacular teleportation of the ship to the bottom of the ocean in the area now known as the Bermuda Triangle. The ship's equipment continues to function to this day, creating a constant hazard to navigation and frustrating all efforts at recovery.

Sometimes I come up with a good one. Gotta keep the mind running ya know.

I thought you meant about cold fusion...he was wrong, but he was close.

Are there any space babes involved?

May the Schwartz be with you

So far, the risk hasn't been a major concern: The effect on shuttle and space station astronauts, if any, would be very small. These astronauts orbit inside of Earth's protective magnetic field, which deflects most cosmic rays.

But by 2018, NASA plans to send humans outside of that protective bubble to return to the moon and eventually travel to Mars. Astronauts on those missions could be exposed to cosmic rays for weeks or months at a time. Naturally, NASA is keen to find out whether or not the danger of "radiation aging" really exists, and if so, how to handle it.

Science is only now beginning to look at the question. "The reality is, we have very little information about [the link between] radiation and telomere loss," says Jerry Shay, a cell biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. With support from NASA, Shay and others are studying the problem. What they learn about aging could benefit everyone, on Earth and in space.

Because if there is, just call me Capt Kirk and introduce me to the green lady

The thing with cold fusion is it isn't just an unconfirmed phenomenon, but one which a variety of other experiments undermine the plausibility of. The existence of a room temperature superconductor is demonstrated, but we have little reason to suppose it can't be done; whereas I am not so sure that the same words should be used to describe perpetual motion machines.

Well I WAS starting to enjoy this conversation.

you lost me after you mentioned Einstein

Speaking strictly time travel, and not aging as a result of environment, I still can't get my mind around time travel in to the past. Seems to me the best we can do is alter the speed through which we travel through time. This can have the perceived effect of traveling in to the future. Not only can't I comprehend a way to travel back in time, I have a hard time believing that it could be allowed, simply because of the paradoxes it would create.

But I am talking about space travel aging people. Not time travel.

I actually know a pretty good place to do that if you are interested in checking out a website.

Oh yeah. That. Dunno

Might be worth a look.

Well..if you like to " keep the mind running " then some of the stuff there may interest you. I'll email you the addy ( if that's ok ) and you can check it out.

It isn't an unconfirmed phenomenon, its the same process that fuels the stars. The issue was how cold fusion could impact space travel.

About time travel...no the faster we travel the slower time goes by isn't correct. First of all suppose time does exist, lets focus on one day on earth and use that as a constant. Days of course are varied through planet so one could say time itself is variable by measurement of days. Anywhoo...You take time as a constant, and travel as lets say 16 rotations per min, as opposed to 32 rotations per minute. The change is the speed of rotation not the minute.

Im tired, I could copy & paste better answers...but I felt I was qualified enough since I have studied quantom physics a semester AND stayed in a Holiday Inn Express once.