Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse!

Voyager I, launched in 1977, is the fastest moving human-made craft. It is travelling so fast due to gravity assists from both Jupiter and Saturn.

VOYAGER I (heavens-above.com/solar-escape.asp?/ 2009 10 19)
17.082 km/s

x 60 seconds = 1024.92 km per minute

x 60 minutes = 61495.2 km per hour

x 24 = 1,475,884.8 km per day

x 365 = 538,697,952 km per year

Betelgeuse is a red, supergiant that is anticipated to go supernova at almost any moment.

BETELGEUSE
640 light years (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betelgeuse accessed on 2009 10 19)

x 9,460,730,472,580.8 (light years in km)
6,054,867,502,451,712 km (6 quadrillion km)

So ...

6,054,867,502,451,712 km (6 quadrillion km)
÷ 538,697,952

11,239,819.048823322795925535651563 (11.2 million years)

So, if Voyager I were aimed towards Betelgeuse it would take more than 11 million years to get there.

Now let's say we have a different craft using a different propulsion system. I got these technologies and numbers from Wikipedia's Spacecraft Propulsion page (and I'm sure I don't understand most of it). Now let's choose a few of these technologies and see how much faster we can get to Betelgeuse.

100 km/s (Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP))
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_Emission_Electric_Propulsion

x 60
6,000 km per minute

x60
360,000 km per hour

x24
8,640,000 km per day

x365
3,153,600,000 km per year


Then ...

6,054,867,502,451,712 km (6 quadrillion km)
÷ 3,153,600,000 km per year

1,919,985.88992 (1.92 million years)


1,000 km/s (Bussard ramjet)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bussard_ramjet

x 60 60,000 per minute
x 60 3,600,000 per hour
x 24 86,400,000 per day
x 365 31,536,000,000 per year


100,000 km/s (Antimatter Rocket)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter_rocket

x 60 6,000,000 per minute
x 60 360,000,000 per hour
x 24 8,640,000,000 per day
x 365 3,153,600,000,000 per year


Thusly ...

6,054,867,502,451,712 km (6 quadrillion km)
÷ 3,153,600,000,000

1,919.98588992 (less than two thousand years)


So, if we wanted to, if there were reason enough, we could get to Betelgeuse in less than two thousand years using technology that is expected in a reasonably acceptable amount of time.

Now, why should we care ... ?