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Forums > Home› Ten Forward

Real Science: Warp Drive May Be More Feasible Than Thought

defcon1776defcon1776 Member Posts: 313 Arc User
edited September 2012 in Ten Forward
(Excerpt)

Warp Drive May Be More Feasible Than Thought, Scientists Say

HOUSTON ? A warp drive to achieve faster-than-light travel ? a concept popularized in television's Star Trek ? may not be as unrealistic as once thought, scientists say.

A warp drive would manipulate space-time itself to move a starship, taking advantage of a loophole in the laws of physics that prevent anything from moving faster than light. A concept for a real-life warp drive was suggested in 1994 by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre; however, subsequent calculations found that such a device would require prohibitive amounts of energy.

Now physicists say that adjustments can be made to the proposed warp drive that would enable it to run on significantly less energy, potentially bringing the idea back from the realm of science fiction into science.


http://www.space.com/17628-warp-drive-possible-interstellar-spaceflight.html
"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid." Q
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Post edited by defcon1776 on

Comments

  • raj011raj011 Member Posts: 987 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    one word for this......YAY! :D Another win for science :D
  • seanftdseanftd Member Posts: 319 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    You mean another WIN for star trek lol
  • raj011raj011 Member Posts: 987 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    defcon1776 wrote: »
    (Excerpt)

    Warp Drive May Be More Feasible Than Thought, Scientists Say

    HOUSTON ? A warp drive to achieve faster-than-light travel ? a concept popularized in television's Star Trek ? may not be as unrealistic as once thought, scientists say.

    A warp drive would manipulate space-time itself to move a starship, taking advantage of a loophole in the laws of physics that prevent anything from moving faster than light. A concept for a real-life warp drive was suggested in 1994 by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre; however, subsequent calculations found that such a device would require prohibitive amounts of energy.

    Now physicists say that adjustments can be made to the proposed warp drive that would enable it to run on significantly less energy, potentially bringing the idea back from the realm of science fiction into science.


    http://www.space.com/17628-warp-drive-possible-interstellar-spaceflight.html
    seanftd wrote: »
    You mean another WIN for star trek lol


    And that too. :D
  • startrek1warsstartrek1wars Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Star Trek ideas FTW!
  • dan512dan512 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    lets see, what have we got from star trek.
    Communicators = bluetooth/cellphones
    Pads= ipads and tablets
    The desktop laptops= well we got laptops
    Tricorders= in the medical industry they are now getting tricorder like devices that scan like them, just complete awsome.
    plus many more things.

    What do we have from star wars.

    Plastic toy light sabers?
    lasers?
    We do have the evil republic action going on though!
  • hpcapulethpcapulet Member Posts: 419 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    dan512 wrote: »
    lets see, what have we got from star trek.
    Communicators = bluetooth/cellphones
    Pads= ipads and tablets
    The desktop laptops= well we got laptops
    Tricorders= in the medical industry they are now getting tricorder like devices that scan like them, just complete awsome.
    plus many more things.

    What do we have from star wars.

    Plastic toy light sabers?
    lasers?
    We do have the evil republic action going on though!

    Communicators = Bluetooth/flip phones
    Pads= Tablets, autocad pens
    LCARS= GUI interface, touch screen interface

    Plastic toy light sabers?
    lasers?
    We do have the evil republic action going on though!
    Don't forget twin ion engines (Tie fighters)
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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  • dan512dan512 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Yah there is way more to go into, but i got 2 lil ones trying to crawl around on me lol, its amazing the things gene imagined that have actually been invented. The guy was amazing.
  • rustychatrustychat Member Posts: 91 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    hpcapulet wrote: »
    Don't forget twin ion engines (Tie fighters)
    Ion engines are nothing new, from as early as 1906 when the idea was first being kicked around Robert H. Goddard, and conducted experiments with them in 1916-1917. NASA had built one of their own by 1959, and suborbital tests of them were conducted on SERT1 in 1964 and SERT2 in 1970. Hall ion thrusters have also been in use aboard Soviet/Russian satellites since 1972. All are well before the release of Star Wars in 1977. Granted, both current and pre-1977 ion engines aren't going to make anything move remotely as a fighter would be expected to, but then expecting a massive improvement of the technology isn't far fetched.
  • hydaspeshydaspes Member Posts: 121 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Does nobody realize that Gene Roddenberry was our first contact?

    "They" do this to any intelligent species that seems to be ready for expansion into space:

    They send a guy to produce a sci-fi series that shows the technology that needs to be developed and the cultural change that is neccesary. And then they sit back and watch what we do with this information.

    In developing the technology we are making good steps, in developing our culture, not so much. Yet.
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  • allyoftheforceallyoftheforce Member Posts: 736 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    I don't think warp drive was ever in question as a viable mode of propulsion, it's just that we don't have the means to keep the energy needed to sustain that kind of power over long periods of time. Until we can come up with a reliable source of anti-matter, that isn't the size of a city, we're stuck with our bottle rockets. Even nuclear fission pales to what we would need to get a working and reliable warp drive going. But hey, we have another 51 years to come up with it before the Vulcans pass by.
  • robeasomrobeasom Member Posts: 1,911 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    dan512 wrote: »
    lets see, what have we got from star trek.
    Communicators = bluetooth/cellphones
    Pads= ipads and tablets
    The desktop laptops= well we got laptops
    Tricorders= in the medical industry they are now getting tricorder like devices that scan like them, just complete awsome.
    plus many more things.

    What do we have from star wars.

    Plastic toy light sabers?
    lasers?
    We do have the evil republic action going on though!

    We have people testing transporter devices transporting molecules from one point to another. far cry from ST but it's getting there and once we have transported then holodecks may become a reality
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  • raj011raj011 Member Posts: 987 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    baby steps, it all baby steps, at least it has started and we are on the way.
  • chrisedallen89chrisedallen89 Member Posts: 17,293 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Stuff I would like to see before I die.

    Orbital Elevators (Solar Powered)

    Solar Power generation systems.

    Civilian trips into space.

    Tricorders

    Better mail service (no lie.)

    Warp Drive

    Lightsabers ^_^
  • robeasomrobeasom Member Posts: 1,911 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    What about Phasers
    turbolifts
    and replicators
    NO TO ARC
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  • chrisedallen89chrisedallen89 Member Posts: 17,293 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    robeasom wrote: »
    What about Phasers
    turbolifts
    and replicators

    Phasers (Saw a youtube video Guy made one in his basement and it popped a balloon.)

    Turbo lifts (pass)

    Replicators (Okay You got me on that one but will never happen when the 1% have a monopoly on people.)
  • captwinters1701captwinters1701 Member Posts: 1,515 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Intersting that "Warp Engine" design seems rather Vulcan to me :p

    Automatically Opening Doors: Check
    Hand held long range communication devices: Check
    Hand Held Digital note pad: Check
    Energy Matter Transporter: Work in Progress
    Faster than Light Travel: Work In Progess

    Now if we can just figure out Artificial Gravity and the Inertial Dampener
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • chrisedallen89chrisedallen89 Member Posts: 17,293 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    captwinters1701 wrote: »
    Intersting that "Warp Engine" design seems rather Vulcan to me :p

    Automatically Opening Doors: Check
    Hand held long range communication devices: Check
    Hand Held Digital note pad: Check
    Energy Matter Transporter: Work in Progress
    Faster than Light Travel: Work In Progess

    Now if we can just figure out Artificial Gravity and the Inertial Dampener

    Oh you forgot about the thin elastic space suit.
  • bluegeekbluegeek Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Anybody besides me remotely concerned that they're trying to generate a warp field inside Earth's gravity well?

    Let's hope SciFi was wrong about the catastrophic potential of doing that. :D

    P.S. I'm not all that worried. Probably the worst thing that could happen is accelerating an object through a wall at ten times the speed of light. ;)
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  • captwinters1701captwinters1701 Member Posts: 1,515 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    bluegeek wrote: »
    Anybody besides me remotely concerned that they're trying to generate a warp field inside Earth's gravity well?

    Let's hope SciFi was wrong about the catastrophic potential of doing that. :D

    P.S. I'm not all that worried. Probably the worst thing that could happen is accelerating an object through a wall at ten times the speed of light. ;)

    I'm more concerend about those guys at CERN creating miniature black holes. I've read too many Sci-Fi books where that doesn't end well for us. :p
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  • varoolvarool Member Posts: 106 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    ftl drives are a very long way from reality, it all sounds good but it would take more resources and a testing area then this little planet. the last thing i want to see is this device being created deep underground, it explodes taking out the united states in one go and the planet ending up in an ice age with deadly radiation floating along the surface. it would be better to try it on the moon, at least if it does go up, there is no atmosphere to keep the deadly clouds from forming and space is full of radiation anyway and earth is more or less safe from the explosion.

    but i am intrigued that it is a Mexican design that will get humans into space at a faster speed, and i want to find out if there are any advancements on this idea.
  • markhawkmanmarkhawkman Member Posts: 35,236 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    captwinters1701 wrote: »
    I'm more concerend about those guys at CERN creating miniature black holes. I've read too many Sci-Fi books where that doesn't end well for us. :p
    Right, I remember one where it opened a breach between universes. Thus contaminating the physical laws of out universe with those of a different universe. what happened? The other universe's physical laws didn't allow for objects to be made of solid or semi-solid matter. The area within a mile of the breach was reduced to a formless mist. If people got too close their bodies would breakdown(and they'd die). The book ended before anyone came up with a solution. The one scientist guy in the book speculated that either the rift would collapse on its own, expand until Earth was totally disintegrated and everyone dead, or maybe somewhere in between....
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  • evilbenfranklinevilbenfranklin Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    The theory is relatively elegant, it obeys Einstein, and all that good stuff. The power issue could potentially be resolved by more progress on this, at least short term:

    http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/fusion-energy-breaking-even/

    The big bugaboo with this idea is the "exotic matter." This exotic matter would have to have negative mass applied to it, at which point the wheels come off because per the Standard Model, the exotic anti-mass particles would need to violate causality, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and a few other "known laws" of the universe.

    It's a nice thought, but until we figure out how to tell physics to sit in a corner and think about what it's done, it's still only a thought. Still, folding space -- however we do it -- may still be a better way to go than sitting around waiting for someone to dig a giant metal ring up from the sands of Giza and figure out how to turn it on.
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  • markhawkmanmarkhawkman Member Posts: 35,236 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Nah. The written "laws of physics" aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

    Seriously. Those are simply our collective best guesses as to how the universe functions. Just because we haven't found something yet, doesn't mean it's not out there somewhere.
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  • oldkirkfanoldkirkfan Member Posts: 1,263 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    ...........
    Caitian Star Pride
    Ferasan Shadow Force
  • age03age03 Member Posts: 1,664 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    I like what this person had to say.

    http://www.space.com/17628-warp-drive-possible-interstellar-spaceflight.html
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    Star Trek Gamers
  • raj011raj011 Member Posts: 987 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    age03 wrote: »
    I like what this person had to say.

    http://www.space.com/17628-warp-drive-possible-interstellar-spaceflight.html

    lol this is from the first post of this thread, thanks for reposting something which the thread maker already posted.
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