On the site the article links to at the end, it talks about this "jumping the gun" problem. The Wait Calculation allows future space explorers to avoid the "ju

On the site the article links to at the end, it talks about this "jumping the gun" problem. The Wait Calculation allows future space explorers to avoid the "jumping the gun" problem (and also avoid being paralyzed with indecision by terror of jumping the gun). The equation shows that, assuming technology develops in such a way that there is exponential growth in the velocity of travel, there is an optimal departure time for arriving earliest. Kennedy states that the equation applies even if somebody invents faster-than-light travel.