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possible, but about 400-1000 years away
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/200905...enotimpossible
The warp drive, one of Star Trek's hallmark inventions, could someday become science instead of science fiction.
Some physicists say the faster-than-light travel technology may one day enable humans to jet between stars for weekend getaways. Clearly it won't be an easy task. The science is complex, but not strictly impossible, according to some researchers studying how to make it happen.
The trick seems to be to find some other means of propulsion besides rockets, which would never be able to accelerate a ship to velocities faster than that of light, the fundamental speed limit set by Einstein's General Relativity.
Luckily for us, this speed limit only applies within space-time (the continuum of three dimensions of space plus one of time that we live in). While any given object can't travel faster than light speed within space-time, theory holds, perhaps space-time itself could travel.
"The idea is that you take a chunk of space-time and move it," said Marc Millis, former head of NASA's Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project. "The vehicle inside that bubble thinks that it's not moving at all. It's the space-time that's moving."
Already happened?
One reason this idea seems credible is that scientists think it may already have happened. Some models suggest that space-time expanded at a rate faster than light speed during a period of rapid inflation shortly after the Big Bang.
"If it could do it for the Big Bang, why not for our space drives?" Millis said.
To make the technique feasible, scientists will have to think of some creative new means of propulsion to move space-time rather than a spaceship.
According to General Relativity, any concentration of mass or energy warps space-time around it (by this reasoning, gravity is simply the curvature of space-time that causes smaller masses to fall inward toward larger masses).
So perhaps some unique geometry of mass or exotic form of energy can manipulate a bubble of space-time so that it moves faster than light-speed, and carries any objects within it along for the ride.
"If we find some way to alter the properties of space-time in an imbalanced fashion, so behind the spacecraft it's doing one thing and in front of it it's doing something else, will then space-time push on the craft and move it?" Millis said. This idea was first proposed in 1994 by physicist Miguel Alcubierre.
In the lab
Already some studies have claimed to find possible signatures of moving space-time. For example, scientists rotated super-cold rings in a lab. They found that still gyroscopes placed above the rings seem to think they themselves are rotating simply because of the presence of the spinning rings beneath. The researchers postulated that the ultra-cold rings were somehow dragging space-time, and the gyroscope was detecting the effect.
Other studies found that the region between two parallel uncharged metal plates seems to have less energy than the surrounding space. Scientists have termed this a kind of "negative energy," which might be just the thing needed to move space-time.
The catch is that massive amounts of this negative energy would probably be required to warp space-time enough to transport a bubble faster than light speed. Huge breakthroughs will be needed not just in propulsion but in energy. Some experts think harnessing the mysterious force called dark energy — thought to power the acceleration of the universe's expansion — could provide the key.
Even though it's a far cry between these preliminary lab results and actual warp drives, some physicists are optimistic.
"We still don't even know if those things are possible or impossible, but at least we've progressed far enough to where there are things that we can actually research to chip away at the unknowns," Millis told SPACE.com. "Even if they turn out to be impossible, by asking these questions, we're likely to discover things that otherwise we might overlook."
possible, but about 400-1000 years away
its fkn simple, attached a gps to a object and put it through the machine, see what happens...where it teleports too and you got the gps there to track it down....
Its not teleportation per say. Its more like riding a wave. You collapse the space-time in front of the ship and have it expand again behind the ship. Warping space-time is already a proven fact, every planet already does it. The problem is that it takes huge amounts of gravity to do it.
Wow, what a blatent ripoff of Futurama. That is exactly how the engines on their ship work. It is in the episode where Prof. Farnsworth's son has to fix the ship's engine. These "scientists" are about 10 years late to the party. Also, it will happen in about 991 years, because Futurama takes place in the year 3000.
Very very large and powerful magnets.
Element Zero.
It's theoretically possible, but unless some kind of hydrogen/gravity scoop is invented, I don't see it happening anytime soon
Makes sense though to expand the space time around an object to reach another area. Almost like taking a blanket, marking an A and B, and then folding point A to meet point B.
I wonder what kind of repercussions that would have for the space time around it though.
We really haven't a clue how far away if possible. I'd like to think I'll see it in my lifetime, but that's wishful thinking I bet.
There are other possibilities. There is removing the mass of an object, phasing it out of our known reality, and simply riding a wave. I'm sure there are other theoretical methods. Nothing of sound merit.Yes, but then you have to somehow extend the end of that blanket to the didtant end faster than the speed of light too...[QUOTE=LnGrrrR;3373406]It's theoretically possible, but unless some kind of hydrogen/gravity scoop is invented, I don't see it happening anytime soon
I think of space/time as a physical quality. I think you can change the density of it, but not move it, like wormhole theory like to say.
I recall a discussion with a guy in 1982 working with linear accelerators in the 70's He said they push some objects so fast, they completely vanished from our existence... I don't know if he was pulling my leg, but I also heard of experiments of the B2 bomber that uses static charges on the leading edge of the wing to make it fly faster and with almost no fuel. What the truth is? Who knows.
In Star Trek it happens in the 23rd Century, I think.
Dude, read some science fiction. This is ancient tech to fans of the genre.
Yes. Not to mention, what happens to the space time that's underneath the folded over blanket? It's going to be compressed or warped SOMEHOW....
anyone heard of the "Technological Singularity" theory?
Its still pseudo-science but still pretty interesting since Ray Kurzweil is backing it, he has been right on just about everything to do with technological advances over the past 30 years or so. If his predictions come true just one more time, by 2030 we could be seeing a technological growth rate that is practically vertical with seemingly no end if it where to be put on a graph.
I'm giving it all she's got Captain!!!
The problem with that is our ability to utilize it. Here's an interesting thought for you: Even though technology curves upwards, video game systems have a lifecycle of about 5 years, since the NES. Any faster than this, and consumers probably wouldn't want to spend the money on a system.
The same goes with technology. The ability to double each year, or something like that, may be there, but our ability to USE that extra technology is not instantaneous.
Screw this. Give us workable energy from fusion first, then worry about Star Trek.
.....
............Engage
Strap a woman from San Antonio to the front of the ship. Problem solved.Its not teleportation per say. Its more like riding a wave. You collapse the space-time in front of the ship and have it expand again behind the ship. Warping space-time is already a proven fact, every planet already does it. The problem is that it takes huge amounts of gravity to do it.
I hope it happens soon. timvp will have to eat for not being a Star Trek fan.
dare i say it...to bodly go where no man has gone before....
Pfft...I'll give a when they can get to warp speed 10.
Alex, what is either warp speed, or jman drunk?
They'll need to replace Scotty with Nigel Tuffnel.
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