The concept of travelling at light speed was accomplished...

In Dan Simmon's Hyperion series. It takes place in the far future where people have a "cruciform" attached to their chests. It acts as a "bio hard drive" that stores that persons info. In other words, if and when that person dies they can be "reborn" in vats. So space travellers are literally torn to bloody shreds then regrown in vats on the spaceship. The catholic church runs all this of course therefore jews and gays are excluded (which is a good idea if you ask me...J/K!!) and use it as a means of control. Don't join the "PAX" and you are denied the ability to eternal life. Turns out the cruciform is just a parasite that feeds off the "void that binds" which is alot like "the force" from star wars and feeds off the energy of the dying person. Pretty far out stuff.