Warp Drive - Present experimentation

[Channel Hopper]

Serious thought (and funding) going into this

Experiments at the Johnson Space Centre have realised the desired shape of an interstellar craft (surprise surprise it looks like the usual UFO of old), and the amount of fuel required for a modest ten times light speed jump to the nearest stars.


_http://www.tgdaily.com/space-features/66234-ftl-drive-is-feasible-says-nasa-scientist

and the 33 pages of maths, physics and knowhow behind it

_http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20110015936_2011016932.pdf

 

[Channel Hopper]

Now working on the stored energy required ( capacitors ) to run the thing

_http://www.quora.com/Astrophysics/How-does-the-White-Juday-Warp-Field-Interferometer-work-and-how-will-it-help-us-achieve-a-real-warp-drive


Interesting, probably not initially really for interstallar space travel, but certainly for stealth craft over short distance as most potential obstacles will have been recorded and the overall amount of required energy will be far smaller.

I would predict experiments will involve a scaled down version with tied in clock mechanism to the outside and integral recording facility.

 

[2cvbloke]

But, it's not the 5th April 2063 yet!!!

 

[Channel Hopper]

If you set the right time dilation coordinates it is.

Amateurs

 

[Topper]

Where is the ignition key?

 

[ralphmagno]

folding space would be easer.

 

[2cvbloke]

folding space would be easer.

Yeah, but space is generally considered to be omnidirectional, and it's kind of difficult to fold a ball...

For now, warping space to push vessels along is a better idea, so long as there is sufficient power available to do it... O-Ha

 

[Channel Hopper]

Where is the ignition key?

Your future self will have a duplicate, call him.

 

[Vipersan]

folding space would be easer.

...
Getting Hold of sufficient 'spice' aka (Melange) might be a problem Ralph...
Particularly as Arrakis is now subject to rain...thanks to Muadґdib...
..most of the giant worms are dead ..save a few in captivity..
Thats progress for you ..

 

[Channel Hopper]

and back to the drawing board....

This paper contends that the spacetime distortions resulting from
the experimentally obtainable electric field of a parallel plate
capacitor configuration cannot be detected by the White -
Juday Warp Field Interferometer [1] . Any post - processing results
indicating a vanishing non - zero difference between the charged
and uncharged states of the capacitor are due to local effects rather
than spacetime perturbations

http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1407/1407.7772.pdf

 

[Terryl]

Warp drive is possible, the big problem is turning in on too close to the Sun or other large gravitational field, you tend to blink out of existence never to be seen anywhere at any time again.

You have to be 50 AU from any star, before you turn your warp drive on, the big problems with that is it will take 40 to 50 years at our present sub light speed capability's to get that far away from the Sun..Or Jupiter or Saturn...On Donner on Blitzen.

You need to be very very careful playing with warp fields near a large gravitation field, I would not like to suddenly see the Earth and it's 140,246,297 other Earths pop out of this plain of existence (and the other ones) into where ever they may go.(don't ask as no one has ever come back yet)

 

[Channel Hopper]

And.....back on

Faster than light 'warp drive' may be physically possible, says scientists

A warp drive could help humanity reach distant stars and planets in months, weeks or days

metro.co.uk

 

[Channel Hopper]

After all that, something a bit more conventional.

6 Things You Should Know About Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Six things everyone should know about nuclear-powered rocket engines.

www.energy.gov

Possibly as early as 2026.

 

[Channel Hopper]

The predecessor. Phoebus 2A