Science News: Warp Drive may be possible!

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dawp

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
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it's not just propulsion you have to worry about, you also have to have some form of shielding. I would not want to be be in a ship traveling at warp speeds and plow into a pebble.
 

zsdersw

Lifer
Oct 29, 2003
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Saw a program about this in the Science channel recently.

One of the two big problems with this is generating/harnessing the energy required to warp space-time around a vessel. The other big problem is the vessel itself; being able to contain the system that generates such massive amounts of energy.
 

cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
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it's not just propulsion you have to worry about, you also have to have some form of shielding. I would not want to be be in a ship traveling at warp speeds and plow into a pebble.

Saw a program about this in the Science channel recently.

One of the two big problems with this is generating/harnessing the energy required to warp space-time around a vessel. The other big problem is the vessel itself; being able to contain the system that generates such massive amounts of energy.


Yeah, we have a lot of technology we need to invent first, but at least the physics are doable now. :)
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
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Saw a program about this in the Science channel recently.

One of the two big problems with this is generating/harnessing the energy required to warp space-time around a vessel. The other big problem is the vessel itself; being able to contain the system that generates such massive amounts of energy.

It's still sci fi but this may mean that we've gone from the impossible to the improbable. That is exciting in itself. If anyone finds specifics could they link to them? Im most interested in the mass/size of the vehicle and how the energy requirements vary with those.
 

zsdersw

Lifer
Oct 29, 2003
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Yes, it is a very exciting and crucial step toward FTL travel.

Many things in the distant past have seemed impossible or improbable... yet here we are today, having accomplished all of them.
 

shira

Diamond Member
Jan 12, 2005
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Sweet! One of my students who graduated last year is now at MIT working to become an astronautical engineer. I told him a long time ago that once he/they developed warp drive, and NASA is in the mood to try that whole "hey, let's send a teacher into space for good PR," I've got dibs.

If Romney wins, there will of course be no NASA. Republicans cannot possibly fund huge government programs with one side of their mouth while spewing the small-government mantra out the other side.

Clearly, the free market will be spending hundreds of billions - even trillions - of dollars developing the technology needed to explore the universe. We know this because multinational corporations reason that short-term-profit-destroying huge investments in the near- and middle-term that might earn huge profits in 50 or 100 years will drive up stock prices 50 or 100 years from now. So there's a huge incentive for top executives, whose bloated bonuses are based on short-term increases in stock prices, to commit their company's resources to projects that will pay off long after the executives are dead.

Oh, wait . . . .
 

Matt1970

Lifer
Mar 19, 2007
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If Romney wins, there will of course be no NASA. Republicans cannot possibly fund huge government programs with one side of their mouth while spewing the small-government mantra out the other side.

Clearly, the free market will be spending hundreds of billions - even trillions - of dollars developing the technology needed to explore the universe. We know this because multinational corporations reason that short-term-profit-destroying huge investments in the near- and middle-term that might earn huge profits in 50 or 100 years will drive up stock prices 50 or 100 years from now. So there's a huge incentive for top executives, whose bloated bonuses are based on short-term increases in stock prices, to commit their company's resources to projects that will pay off long after the executives are dead.

Oh, wait . . . .

I am surprised this went this far before some angry idiot turned it political. Remember how angy you got when someone else "changed the subject"

hypocrisy thy name is shira

You're being a troll. This is MY thread, and the subject is: "The stimulus was very effective." And the book cited in the OP demonstrates that.

As much as you'd like the sidetrack and evade, the subject of this thread is NOT "Obama didn't accurately estimate the trajectory of the economy with and without the stimulus." Making that point says NOTHING about the effectiveness of the stimulus.

Now, either leave or stay on topic, you moron.

Stay on topic, you worthless piece of shit!
 
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Nemesis 1

Lifer
Dec 30, 2006
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Sweet! One of my students who graduated last year is now at MIT working to become an astronautical engineer. I told him a long time ago that once he/they developed warp drive, and NASA is in the mood to try that whole "hey, let's send a teacher into space for good PR," I've got dibs.

I not sure what your saying here, We already tried sending a teacher into space . Howed that turn out?

It will be along time before we enter dimensional space . Magnetic field is said to move faster than light speed 186,000 miles a second. than we have the god particle. I have a strong feeling that inorder to enter dimensional space that one has to obtain light speed first.I pretty sure magnetic fields are common to all dimensions. i pretty sure that to do warp a magnetic field proplusion unit is the way forward.
 

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
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Typo, I meant exotic matter :)
Frankly the story would have made more sense had they concentrated on exotic material. Make up a material with effects no one has ever observed or seriously theorized and then posit how it will destroy the universe? These people could be more useful washing dogs at PetSmart.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
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On second thought this thread demonstrates that our species is too stupid to have this kind of power.

What fools these mortals be.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
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:D Rider, I did laugh.

It is funny in a dark sense, but look at the unthinking who have to push their political hatred. Where ever we go we'll take that with us. Hate and ignorance are hallmarks of our species. A line from a SF movie- "No matter where you go there you are."

Or perhaps from an alien perspective- "There goes the neighborhood." ;)
 

diesbudt

Diamond Member
Jun 1, 2012
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It is funny in a dark sense, but look at the unthinking who have to push their political hatred. Where ever we go we'll take that with us. Hate and ignorance are hallmarks of our species. A line from a SF movie- "No matter where you go there you are."

Or perhaps from an alien perspective- "There goes the neighborhood." ;)

It doesn't matter. If religions didn't exist, we would fight over which music or science is the best. If they didn't exist it could be color or flavro of food.

As long as someone has the need to feel superior to another through some medium because they truly believe it so fighting will always exist.
 

woolfe9999

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
7,164
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It is funny in a dark sense, but look at the unthinking who have to push their political hatred. Where ever we go we'll take that with us. Hate and ignorance are hallmarks of our species. A line from a SF movie- "No matter where you go there you are."

Or perhaps from an alien perspective- "There goes the neighborhood." ;)

It's funny that you make this point given that the theme of the article is "Star Trek" which posits a future where mankind has largely set aside its differences and we all live in peace and harmony except for evil aliens who are out to destroy us. I enjoy Star Trek, but I've always thought that if anything, the technologies it posits - warp drives and matter teleportation - unlikely as they are, are actually more likely than the social and political context it has conjured up. I think you're right. Wherever we go, we're going to bring it all with us.
 

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
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Good. Now they need to design an inertia damper so they don't blow the ship apart during the jump. :)

it's not just propulsion you have to worry about, you also have to have some form of shielding. I would not want to be be in a ship traveling at warp speeds and plow into a pebble.

I don't think so.

In the article I read about it yesterday, it was specifically mentioned that there were no inertial effects. I.e., you aren't 'moving' as we understand it. BTW: the article I'm referring to was linked over at the OT thread on this topic.

Fern
 

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
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Thinking about FTL travel thru outer space is interesting. However, I find equally interesting, if not more so, to think about terrestrial applications. Fvck the airlines, just warp me over to Paris in a nanosecond.

Need a computer part quickly, go over to newegg's site and they could warp one over to you in a few minutes (have to wait for the CC charge to clear).

Wanna blow up Iran's nuke facility? Warp over a nuke bomb with a 10 second timer - bye bye b!tches.

Think of all the commercial applications etc.

Fern
 

woolfe9999

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
7,164
0
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Thinking about FTL travel thru outer space is interesting. However, I find equally interesting, if not more so, to think about terrestrial applications. Fvck the airlines, just warp me over to Paris in a nanosecond.

Need a computer part quickly, go over to newegg's site and they could warp one over to you in a few minutes (have to wait for the CC charge to clear).

Wanna blow up Iran's nuke facility? Warp over a nuke bomb with a 10 second timer - bye bye b!tches.

Think of all the commercial applications etc.

Fern

I think you're assuming that we could safely warp space-time here on the planet surface without catastrophic consequences. I think the technology they are talking about in these articles is meant to function in the vacuum of deep space.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
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Wonder what kind of shock wave will result when you 'pop' back into normal space?

Assuming it is at all possible.
 

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
173
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I think you're assuming that we could safely warp space-time here on the planet surface without catastrophic consequences. I think the technology they are talking about in these articles is meant to function in the vacuum of deep space.

All one would need is several warp stations in geostatic orbit. Go from the surface up to a station, from the station down to your destination.

Fern
 

Paratus

Lifer
Jun 4, 2004
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Wonder what kind of shock wave will result when you 'pop' back into normal space?

Assuming it is at all possible.

It was postulated somewhere that you dump a crapload of hard gamma rays frying whatever it was you were trying to stop at.
 

dawp

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
11,345
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I don't think so.

In the article I read about it yesterday, it was specifically mentioned that there were no inertial effects. I.e., you aren't 'moving' as we understand it. BTW: the article I'm referring to was linked over at the OT thread on this topic.

Fern

I had thought about that after I had posted that. if it's a true warp field where the space surrounding the ship is stationary, or at least moving minimally to provide some form of gravity, that kind of shielding may not be needed. matter may not be able to penetrate the warp field.

of course I'm no physicist.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
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It was postulated somewhere that you dump a crapload of hard gamma rays frying whatever it was you were trying to stop at.

I seem to remember that. You could wipe out a whole solar system that way. I can't remember the mechanism though.
 
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