FOX NEWS - WARP DRIVE

by **BigBallinStalin** on Wed Sep 19, 2012 12:54 am

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/ ... tists-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 brining the idea back from the realm of science fiction into science.

"There is hope," Harold "Sonny" White of NASA's Johnson Space Center said here Friday (Sept. 14) at the 100 Year Starship Symposium, a meeting to discuss the challenges of interstellar spaceflight.

That is hope I can believe in.

by **Maugena** on Wed Sep 19, 2012 1:42 am

It's not April yet... wtf.

by **Army of GOD** on Wed Sep 19, 2012 1:53 am

BigBallinStalin wrote:Mexican physicist

ahahahahahahahahahahahaha

by **xeno** on Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:20 pm

i ask my mom where she gets her news. she responds fox news and the E! channel -__________-

by **MudPuppy** on Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:42 pm

I think it's cool the football-shaped starship has laces.

by **BigBallinStalin** on Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:08 pm

aboratory tests

White and his colleagues have begun experimenting with a mini version of the warp drive in their laboratory.

They set up what they call the White-Juday Warp Field Interferometer at the Johnson Space Center, essentially creating a laser interferometer that instigates micro versions of space-time warps.

"We're trying to see if we can generate a very tiny instance of this in a tabletop experiment, to try to perturb space-time by one part in 10 million," White said.

He called the project a "humble experiment" compared to what would be needed for a real warp drive, but said it represents a promising first step.

And other scientists stressed that even outlandish-sounding ideas, such as the warp drive, need to be considered if humanity is serious about traveling to other stars.

Are you people serious about interstellar travel?

I am.

by **Johnny Rockets** on Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:03 pm

You should be.

Considering we're burning this whole shit house down, the only real hope for extending humanities run is to find other planets to exploit.

Cuz God knows we won't change shit about our behavior.

J

by **Symmetry** on Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:06 pm

A loophole in the laws of physics?

by **Maugena** on Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:29 am

Symmetry wrote:A loophole in the laws of physics?

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure where these calculations originated from.
Probably a stoner high... cough cough.

by **BigBallinStalin** on Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:35 am

It sounds a bit out there, but out there is good for theory in that field.

Cleaver and Richard Obousy, a Baylor graduate student, tapped the latest idea in string theory to devise how to manipulate dark energy and accelerate a spaceship. Their notion is based on the Alcubierre drive, which proposes expanding space-time behind the spaceship while also shrinking space-time in front.

String theorists had believed that a total of 10 dimensions exist, including height, width, length and time. The other six dimensions exist largely as unknowns, but everything is based on hypothetical one-dimensional strings. A newer theory, called M-theory, suggests that those strings all vibrate in yet another dimension.

Manipulating that additional dimension would alter dark energy in terms of height, width, and length, Cleaver and Obousy theorize. Such a capability would permit the altering of space-time for a spaceship, taking advantage of dark energy's effect on the universe.

"The dark energy is simultaneously decreased just in front of the ship to decrease (and bring to a stop) the expansion rate of the universe in front of the ship," Cleaver told SPACE.com. "If the dark energy can be made negative directly in front of the ship, then space in front of the ship would locally contract."

http://www.space.com/5725-spaceship-fly ... light.html

by **Symmetry** on Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:45 am

Maugena wrote:
Symmetry wrote:A loophole in the laws of physics?

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure where these calculations originated from.
Probably a stoner high... cough cough.

Seems likely. I doubt Fox news consulted many physicists before deciding that the laws had a legal term like "loophole".

by **Army of GOD** on Fri Sep 21, 2012 2:55 am

Symmetry wrote:
Maugena wrote:
Symmetry wrote:A loophole in the laws of physics?

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure where these calculations originated from.
Probably a stoner high... cough cough.

Seems likely. I doubt Fox news consulted many physicists before deciding that the laws had a legal term like "loophole".

Maybe the same people that write the US tax code write the laws of physics?

by **Symmetry** on Fri Sep 21, 2012 3:05 am

Army of GOD wrote:
Symmetry wrote:
Maugena wrote:
Symmetry wrote:A loophole in the laws of physics?

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure where these calculations originated from.
Probably a stoner high... cough cough.

Seems likely. I doubt Fox news consulted many physicists before deciding that the laws had a legal term like "loophole".

Maybe the same people that write the US tax code write the laws of physics?

I'm giving this post 5 stars.

A perfect reply to a silly thread,

by **tzor** on Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:52 pm

Army of GOD wrote:Maybe the same people that write the US tax code write the laws of physics?

That would explain a fundamental rule in quantum physics that you can (paraphraising here) literally violate every law of physics if no one can actually observe you doing so.