How Did They Get to Pandora in 5 Years, 9 Months, and 22 Days?

Interstellar Vehicle Venture Star from Avatar 2009

A Journey Through Space and Time

I was daydreaming about sci-fi when a thought hit me: how on Earth (or off it, really) did they make it to Pandora in just 5 years, 9 months, and 22 days? The answer is a bit of a rabbit hole, so buckle up!

The Time Dilemma

Now, there are several ways to look at this. If we take the timeline from Avatar literally, the 5 years, 9 months, and 22 days are in Earth time. For the non-cryo crew, only 4 years, 1 month, and 24 days would have passed. Meanwhile, back on Earth, a whopping 8 years, 1 month, and 19 days would have ticked by. This raises another question: what are the odds that humanity could develop technology capable of reaching 0.7c (that's 70% the speed of light) in just 122-123 years?

If my calculations are correct, they land on Pandora in 2154, which means they must have left around 2148-49. That's a pretty tight timeline, don’t you think? Antimatter propulsion is the only theoretical method that could get us there, but it’s a wild ride. Picture this: you’re basically launching yourself using explosions—yes, explosions! And just landing? Well, that could vaporise the ship and anything within 50 km. All of this for a mere 8 trillion dollars in today's money. Can you imagine the inflation?

The Unobtanium Conundrum

Let’s entertain a theory. What if they sent a probe ages ago to gather Unobtanium (which, by the way, goes for billions per kilogram in Avatar) and managed to sell it without tanking the economy? Maybe they made a deal with governments to use it immediately, with a strict no-resale clause. This way, they could fund their mission. Or perhaps it was a barter: Unobtanium for antimatter. It’s a wild thought, but it could explain how they made that journey in 5 years, 9 months, and 22 days.

The In-Flight Experience

Now, let’s break down what the crew might have experienced during their flight:

• Approx. 2 years of 1g acceleration (crew time)

• Approx. 2 years of cruising (crew time)

• Approx. 2 years of 1g deceleration (crew time)

  
  

So, assuming they figured out how to launch, fly, and land safely with antimatter, it’s conceivable they reached this capability in 122 years, gathered all the materials, and zoomed off to Pandora.

The RDA Factor

I know, I know—I'm glossing over the fact that the RDA has been hanging around since about 2077. But let’s be real: they probably didn’t travel at the same speed. They might have had generations living onboard, which adds another layer of complexity to this already tangled web of space travel.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it! A whirlwind tour of how they might have made that epic journey to Pandora. It’s a lot to chew on, but isn’t that part of the fun? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to ponder more sci-fi mysteries.

Poof!

-E3al