Gravitational Waves as Transportation | Space Travel

[hsdrop]

Like the title said, is there a way at all to use gravity waves as a way to transport us to other stars??

 

[scottdave]

Gravity waves travel at the speed of light. Matter cannot. The wave is not propelling any matter along, just disturbing space slightly as it moves through space. Waves in the water do not propel the water along with the wave, just displace it some from where it was, then let it go back, as the wave passes by an area of water. Gravity waves move in a similar fashion.

 

[hsdrop]

The thought I had was to have a ship almost surf it in a way after the ship got up to a speed that was as fast as the ship can go. or at least get a boost from the wave.
I guess it was a bad idea.

 

[PeterDonis]

gravity waves

The proper term is "gravitational waves". "Gravity waves" are something different:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_wave

 

[PeterDonis]

The wave is not propelling any matter along, just disturbing space slightly as it moves through space.

This is not quite true. Gravitational waves can cause matter to move. (LIGO uses the motion of test masses to detect gravitational waves passing through the Earth.) However, the motion will be transverse to the waves, so gravitational waves cannot "push" things in their direction of propagation.

 

[hsdrop]

Sorry for the bad terminology Peter and thank you for the answer.

 

[Orodruin]

Waves in the water do not propel the water along with the wave, just displace it some from where it was, then let it go back, as the wave passes by an area of water. Gravity waves move in a similar fashion.

The proper term is "gravitational waves". "Gravity waves" are something different:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_wave

Coincidentally, what scottdave described is not only similar to gravity waves - it is gravity waves.