From the Morning Desk - The Universe

Good morning folks. I’m just enjoying my $10 coffee this morning while pondering the mysteries of the universe. Last night, I watched an interesting documentary on Discovery about the universe. Although I found it very interesting, it has raised a few questions about space. For my physics and astronomical-savvy readers, maybe you can help Johnny answer some of the questions below.

Is it time that prevents us from being sucked into a giant black hole? Would we even be aware of it? How long does it take for a galaxy to be swallowed whole?

We know that matter can be sentient; so is it possible for energy to be as well? What would sentient energy be like? Would we be able to recognize it?

Why can’t light travel faster than 299,792,458 metres per second? What’s so special about that number? Is that the speed of the big bang explosion or the expansion of the universe? Does dark energy have something to do with it? How fast does it travel?

Is there any other way of affecting time without having to resort to speed or gravity?

Where can I find pictures of the moon landing site that Hubble has taken in recent years?
Update: Never mind, NASA makes it clear that Hubble can’t do it, but a new Lunar camera (LROC) will take tons of pictures of the sites (although not its primary purpose): NASA Link.

Why haven’t we found ways to manipulate gravity? Do we need to create a super-dense object to counter the effects of earth gravity? Or is there something else we can create like dark matter? Or is it impossible? I want reduced gravity, dammit!

Is a nuclear reaction the most powerful type that we can create? Are scientists going to try to create a black hole-bomb? What type of reaction are quasars?

Folks, this is Johnny Newsmaker signing off. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming… "Star Trek XII - Return to the Moon!" only on Ranting-TV…