The Warp Drive

[comk]

What: A spacecraft that travels at faster-than-light speeds by distorting, or ?warping,? the fabric of spacetime. Instead of trying to move through space, the warp drive moves space itself. The ship sits inside a bubble of spacetime bound by a negative energy field that races across the cosmoWhy: Chemical and nuclear propulsion, solar sails and ion thrusters all are too slow to reach the nearest star systems within a human life span. At faster-than-light speed (more than 186,000 miles per second), a warp-drive ship would travel 4.5 light-years to Alpha Centauri, the closest sun to our own, in about four yearWho: This warp-bubble model is based on thought experiments conducted by theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, theoretical physicist Chris Van Den Broeck of Cardiff University in Wales and, most recently, by mathematician Jos? Nat?rio of the Higher Institute of Technology in Lisbon, PortuWhere:e: For now, warp drive exists only in science fictWhen:n: Figure on some point between the distant future and never. Theoretical research continues to advance, but there?s no launch date in sight.

http://img.timeinc.net/popsci/images/2006/04/warp_howto_485.jpHow To Pilot a Warp Ship:hip:

1. Fuel Up: Start beyond Earth?s immediate gravitational pull. Convert matter into negative energy (particles with negative mass that are repelled by gravity rather than attracted to it).

2. Curve Spacetime: Emit pulses of negative energy to curve spacetime. Form a sphere around the ship with the energy, insulating passengers in their own private spacetime bubble.

3. Drop Out: The bubble warps spacetime so drastically that it actually slips out of the visible universe. Only a narrow tube of negative energy keeps it tied to our world.

4. Expand Space: Now that the craft is protected in its spacetime bubble, the real work can begin: Expand space behind the bubble at faster-than-light speed, and shrink the space iThe Warp Drive To-Do Listo List

A few not-so-minor challenges you?ll need to tackle before takeoff

* Discover Negative Energy: There are no known particles with negative mass. The closest scientists have come is a phenomenon called the Casimir effect, wherein empty space between two conducting plates behaves as if it contains negative energy.

* Devise a Way To Manipulate It: Even if scientists could transform matter into negative energy, they would still have to find a way to focus it and create an infinitesimally thin, yet extraordinarily stable, bubble of the stuff around the spaceship.

* Harness Dark Energy: In recent years, cosmologists have been studying a mysterious force called dark energy that they think is accelerating the expansion of the universe. If scientists could generate it at the back of the bubble, it might move, or expand, space.

* Build Bubble Brakes: Because the spacetime carrying the ship would be completely cut off from the outside of the bubble, there would be no way to send a signal to turn off the warp drive. The signal would never get there, and the ship would neFAQs

FAQs

Illuminating the far side of light speed

* Is it even possible to outrun light? You can?t move through space faster than the speed of light. But it is possible for space itself to expand faster than light, because it?s not moving relative to anything, at least not that we know of. Cosmologists believe that the entire cosmos expanded faster than the speed of light in the first moments after the big bang.

* What would it be like in the bubble? The area inside the bubble of negative energy would be isolated?a kind of pocket universe?so passengers wouldn?t experience any ill effects from the acceleration. The ship would actually be at rest in its local space, like a pedestrian carried along on a moving sidewalk.

* Would warping space be risky? It could produce the luminous equivalent of a sonic boom, a shock wave with infinite energy. And yes, that would be bad. Or, since the bubble would be connected to normal space by only a tenuous tube of energy, it could pinch off into a new universe, trapping travelers forever. Better pick your crewmates wisely.

* Could I return before I left? Although time inside the bubble would tick at the same rate as on Earth, the bubble itself could get back before you left. That?s because the passage of time is relative; it depends on the observer?s velocity. As a general rule, if you can beat light, you can beat time.

from popsci

[dkylau]

Where: For now, warp drive exists only in science fiction.

When: Figure on some point between the distant future and never. Theoretical research continues to advance, but there’s no launch date in sight.

dam...... and i was planning 4 a vaction some time soon XD

but realli.... who thought something like this actually had some scientific probability????? :p

[SoCalledChaos]

this could never work, because if you went into the future you could never come back, because travelling back in time is impossible , because it's already happened... and the future has never happened yet, so it wouldnt be possible either, and if it were possible you would be the only person in the future, because, if the future hasnt happened yet, then you'd be the only person there

[dkylau]

woah :blink: soooooo deeep :p

lets not turn this discussion in2 one of those about wats possible and wats not :D

[SoCalledChaos]

oh, i was just saying, that this conversation should just end right here.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Well, we could get into quantum stuff, and things like, particles existing in all probable states in all probable times, but anyway...

There are many, many flaws with this, but hey, it's good.

Oh, you wont be "in the future", you will just have experienced less time.

[dkylau]

Oh, you wont be "in the future", you will just have experienced less time.

thats a funni way 2 put it..... if i'm thinking rite, u can achieve the same thing wif chryogenics..... cept its a one way trip :p

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

thats a funni way 2 put it..... if i'm thinking rite, u can achieve the same thing wif chryogenics..... cept its a one way trip :p

yeah, in a way, you age, but not as fast as people on your planet.

So, you can be on a trip for 400 years, and only age 10 years or so (i have no idea the rate, so yeah)

[SoCalledChaos]

but in theory, you could not go into the future by travelling there, because you would have to create the future as you travel with it... but I see where you are going with experiencing less time, but, you would have to travel for a long time to notice anything significant really, or, if you could go faster than the speed of light, you would just end up going until the end of time because you would never know when to stop

[Beastage]

and I assume you all speak of time travel from exprience? :p

seriously tho, its all theories right now, we dont know anything about time travel

[Hum]

and I assume you all speak of time travel from exprience? :p

Been there -- done that. The Future is amazing. ;)

Thank goodness for Star Trek for dreaming up warp drive.

And generating gravity waves works much better. :yes:

[Beastage]

Star Trek didn't dream up warp drive, Gene Roddenberry based much of true sci-fi especially in The Next Generation

[Hum]

:laugh: ^ Apparently you don't know much about the history of Star Trek; Gene Roddenberry created the ideas for the show in the early 1960's. He consulted with scientists on some of his ideas, such as the warp engines would need to be out away, from the main body of the ship, leading to the unusual design of the Enterprise.

William Shatner recently (March 12) boasted about all the supposed ideas credited to the original Star Trek series, on the History Channel -- HOW WILLIAM SHATNER CHANGED THE WORLD. It included warp drive -- I suggest you watch the show.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

...

William Shatner recently (March 12) boasted about all the supposed ideas credited to the original Star Trek series, on the History Channel -- HOW WILLIAM SHATNER CHANGED THE WORLD. It included warp drive -- I suggest you watch the show.

The show was called "How Techies Changed the World.", and it was on the Discovery Channel (i watched the show, was really good)