More Random Things to Ponder

You know how in sci-fi stories and shows and stuff, they travel at the speed of light across impossible distances? This is probably even more far-fetched than you would think. Let's say, for some reason something can travel faster than the speed of light, even though that's the biggest gap for us currently. Typically, in a sci-fi show there is some sort of engine or other device that allows the mass to move as it does, but how are they receiving signals from those other places? Maybe the fact that we can move mass at the speed of light simply implies that we can send data transmissions at the same speed, or faster... but how? The various concepts of FTL travel all involve moving mass. So does that mean that we're sending little probes out with a transmitter to do the FTL travel and then transmit? Little FTL carrier pigeons? I don't really get it.

Furthermore, charting a course for FTL travel could be ludicrously difficult. We can assume for local travel, we probably have mapped out the apparent locations of all major celestial bodies. We could theoretically have a model for the Milky Way that, barring any bizarre happenings (which the universe is known for) , could accurately disclose the information to a computer that could plan out the trip. But think about what it would take for galaxies that aren't our own. The further away the galaxy is, the harder it would be to build a model for it. Say I want to go to Andromeda and check out the Mayall 2 cluster. First of all, Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away, so creating a model of the Andromeda Galaxy locally would be impossible. We would probably need to bombard it with FTL equipped scanners with FTL relays coming back and forth to give us the information. And the Andromeda galaxy is the closest galaxy to Earth, with the Triangulum being the next closest at somewhere around 3 million light years away. A lot can change in 3 million years, so what we're seeing currently isn't even close to what the galaxy actually looks like currently. If we were to FTL over to Mayall 2, it might not even be there anymore! Granted it would take an unusual event to eliminate the entire cluster, but the universe pulls all sorts of crap on us like that.

Now another issue with FTL travel is the pesky time differential. Local galaxy travel might not have such a major effect, but we would have to adjust our watches a few seconds after every major travel. If we were heading toward the center of the universe, there would be a difference of several years. I mean, this is theoretical stuff here, since we haven't sent anything to the center of the universe and back, but if it were the case, then travel would be made even more difficult. Not only do we have to calculate what time it is when we arrive, but we have to figure out what time has passed between the time our receivers left and have arrived. It's just stupid impossible! FTL travel is a pain in the ass!