An Ansatz Regarding Relativistic Space Travel Part I-The Environment

Travel to the stars will require unusual exotic propulsion schemes of significant performance, may use no expelled propellants, and possibly use field propulsion technology. Questions are raised concerning the spacecraft environment regarding linearity of a typical space-time metric and attempts to understand differences between space-time subsets with the `full' dimensional space-time. Temporal space dimension differences could include linear time and exponential time and there may be subsequent consequences regarding scaling one to the other. Gertsenshtein provides unusual insights relevant to time machines and space-time singularities during travel in the space-time continuum. Based upon current technology and our intellectual limitations to understand these discrepancies, an initial trip on a particular geodesic may result on a return voyage on an entirely different world line due to nonlinear consequences from time loops that could create unstable space-time metrics. Other major uncertainties include evaluating `unseen' dimensions that need to be realistically considered because a higher-order space-time with gravitation could produce a flat space-time having a metric with one less dimension. These issues are not trivial and are a prerequisite for defining a potential space-time continuum navigator that should perceive more dimensions than our current four-dimensional reality.