neonascent

From the comments of a Slashdot post on Japan’s proposed space elevator comes this nice scenario:

Actually, it would take a guy in the spacecraft a minimum of 4.3 years to arrive at Alpha Centauri. In Earth’s reference frame it might take thousands of years.

How disappointing would that be? You get yourself all packed up and ready to go to Alpha Centauri. You’re excited, the kids are excited, you’re going to be the first humans to ever step foot outside the solar system. It’s groundbreaking stuff, you are lauded as heroes as you step into your state-of-the art ship that travels at 60% of the speed of light.

After almost ten difficult years in a cramped interstellar ship, you and the other colonists can finally see your destination. You will forever own a place in the chronicles of human history. And then, you discover than the place was already colonized by humans centuries ago … the ones who waited until FTL travel was invented back on Earth. They made the trip in a couple weeks. They’ve been waiting for you ever since.