Stephen Hawking on Time Travel, Space Exploration

Stephen Hawking on Time Travel, Space Exploration

In an interview he gave for PARADE Magazine, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argued that humans should continue exploring space, and also revealed that time travel is theoretically possible.

According to the expert, it's the job of physicists and engineers to work together in developing a method of warping space and time. This is absolutely necessary for time travels, he said.

The new interview was taken by Leonard Mlodinow, who is himself a physicist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), in Pasadena. Hawking was promoting his new book, The Grand Design, Space reports.

"Science is not only a disciple of reason, but, also, one of romance and passion,” Hawking said, adding that people still need inspiration in their everyday lives.

This is precisely what astronauts floating in the pitch-black darkness of space inspire in people, and this is one of the main reasons why humans, and not robots, should continue space exploration.

While our automated creations do a great job in getting to all sorts of place before we do, and conduct extremely-sensitive measurements, they are no substitute for human presence there.

Hawking believes that space agencies should not focus all of their efforts on building robots. Some funds and research time also needs to be put into developing manned missions.

Theoretically speaking, the expert added in the PARADE Magazine interview, Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity allows for time travel, which means that this can be done.

One way of achieving time travel, Hawking revealed, is for scientists to discover a way of allowing for a rocket launch that would return a pilot home before he or she ever left.

This, however, involves warping space and time, which is not something that can be readily achieved. “I showed it would require matter with negative energy density, which may not be available,” Hawking said.

Throughout the interview, the famed physicist avoided speaking about some of the views he expressed recently, about God, the development of the Universe, and alien civilizations.

It is his view that Earth should not be so eager to find alien life, given that extraterrestrial civilizations may only be on the prowl for resources. As such, they might not be interested in making new friends.

He also said recently that God is not needed for the creation of the Universe. Hawking believes that the existence of laws such as gravity is sufficient all by itself.