EmDrive: NASA May Have Just Accidentally Developed Warp Drive

[nickweb 1,951]

 

NASA scientists working on an experimental propulsion device, the EmDrive, may have accidentally developed a warp drive system, accelerating laser beams to speeds beyond that of light.

Faster than light travel, commonly referred to as warp drive, has long been the stuff of science fiction legend, yet thanks to the inadvertent efforts of some NASA researchers, it may have just become a reality. Although their findings have yet to be confirmed, posts on the NASA Space Flight Forum have detailed the efforts of researchers working on the EmDrive system. They report that when lasers were fired into the resonance chamber of the EmDrive, some of the beams were found to be traveling at speeds in excess of that attained by light, long thought to be a physical near-impossibility.

If those findings are verified, it would indicate that NASA has inadvertently created a warp field or bubble using the EmDrive technology. As Mysterious Universe points out, several of the comments on the forum reveal aspects of the accidental discovery which have excited researchers.

“That’s the big surprise. This signature (the interference pattern) on the EmDrive looks just like what a warp bubble looks like. And the math behind the warp bubble apparently matches the interference pattern found in the EmDrive.”

Critics will be quick to point out that the measured effect, which seems to indicate the presence of a warp field could possibly be caused by atmospheric heating, as the Escapist points out. The next step for researchers will be to replicate the test in a vacuum, and if they are successful, it could mean that NASA is one step closer to generating a warp bubble large enough to power a spaceship. It is highly important, however, to point out that none of this information has yet been verified or peer-reviewed.

The concept of warp drive, while it has its deepest roots in science fiction, was first proposed scientifically in the 1990s by physicist Miguel Alcubierre. He posited that a field could be generated which would cause the space ahead of a starship to contract, expanding once more in its wake. Massive energy requirements, however, stymied the development of his drive system. In the meantime, NASA has been working on the EmDrive, a device that produces microwaves to generate thrust and requires no fuel to be consumed as a propellent, as the Inquisitr has previously reported.

While confirmation of the discovery is still pending, science fiction fans and scientists alike will no doubt watch the coming developments closely, hoping that NASA’s EmDrive experiments may have just set humanity on a path to warp drive.

 

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[DeadHamster 954]

Hmmm, deja-vu, I can't help but feel it's a loose wire.....again.


Chances are the speed limit of 'light in a vacuum' is actually the speed limit, and something going slightly faster is probably us as humans being slightly stupid.

[Kavawuvi 7,026]

It could have been a mistake, which if that's the case, we'll probably never hear from them again. That's what usually happens to these kinds of articles.

 

Otherwise, great.

[SnipeYa 248]

Even if we could travel at or faster than the speed of light, It would take a very very very long time to get to that speed with out turning anything living into mush.

[DeadHamster 954]

Even if we could travel at or faster than the speed of light, It would take a very very very long time to get to that speed with out turning anything living into mush.

That's the thing, you in the spaceship aren't moving. You stay completely still, the universe moves around you.

I sit still in space in my ship, I activate the "warp drive". A 'bubble' is made in spacetime around my ship, and then the idea is that it contracts the distance in front of me while expanding it behind me. Basically instead of moving through space, you warp space so that it moves around you.

[nickweb 1,951]

More importantly though, we would have to develop some kind of Deflector shield, so the ship didnt get riddled with holes by little objects or other space junk

[DeadHamster 954]

More importantly though, we would have to develop some kind of Deflector shield, so the ship didnt get riddled with holes by little objects or other space junk

From what I understand there is no debris to hit, you're no longer in three dimensional space. The universe is bending and warping around the bubble you're sitting inside. I could very well be mistaken though, so don't quote me for certain.

Not that any of this matters though, because this is all science fiction. Just because it makes sense doesn't mean it's true, just because it could happen doesn't mean it can. I don't believe in humanity ever leaving the solar system, as incredible as it would be.

[SnipeYa 248]

From what I understand there is no debris to hit, you're no longer in three dimensional space. The universe is bending and warping around the bubble you're sitting inside. I could very well be mistaken though, so don't quote me for certain.

That would be the case for warp travel, But as for faster than light travel you are still traveling, Just very very very very fast. Which also means lots of G forces while accelerating.

I don't see faster than light travel being much use to space travel, Maybe for sending data signals or even equipment that can handle ridiculous amounts of G force but thats about it.

[Pra3tor1an 1,234]

With regards to light being a constant, this is quite interesting.

 

http://www.livescience.com/29111-speed-of-light-not-constant.html

[nickweb 1,951]

The navigational systems would have to be shit hot too, imagine dropping out of warp right where a planet is, that would be an oops!