![]() ![]() ![]() If exotic matter with the correct properties cannot exist, then the drive cannot be constructed. The proposed mechanism of the Alcubierre drive implies a negative energy density and therefore requires exotic matter or manipulation of dark energy. Īlthough the metric proposed by Alcubierre is consistent with the Einstein field equations, construction of such a drive is not necessarily possible. Objects cannot accelerate to the speed of light within normal spacetime instead, the Alcubierre drive shifts space around an object so that the object would arrive at its destination more quickly than light would in normal space without breaking any physical laws. Two-dimensional visualization of an Alcubierre drive, showing the opposing regions of expanding and contracting spacetime that displace the central region Until then, we can only look at the furthest stars using our telescopes.Hypothetical mode of transportation by warping space NASA is obviously still working out the kinks of their warp drive, but perhaps it's only a matter of time before at least neighboring star systems, like Proxima Centauri, will be in reach for human crews. This type of spacetime bubble, Lentz argues, would only need conventional energy production techniques. Solitons work much like ripples across a calm lake, in that they maintain their "whipping" movement while at a constant velocity. According to him, the bubble that NASA should look to create must come in the shape of solitons. The problem of using insane amounts of energy can, according to scientist Erik Lentz, be solved by making a different type of spacetime bubble. There are so many things that could go wrong, but a few of the most important ones are explained in this short NASA video: Traveling at the speed of light has some interesting (and rather dangerous) implications, however. How NASA Found a 'Workaround' for the Warp Drive Simply put, it would take more energy than what the entire universe has in order to create the spaceship-propelling bubble. The only problem is that the amount of energy that the NASA warp drive requires would be impossible to make with conventional tech. Therefore, it could make light-speed (or even faster-than-light) travel possible. The simplest possible explanation for the Alcubierre Drive is that it uses the two concepts of General Relativity explained in the aforementioned paragraph.Īccording to Popular Mechanics, the NASA warp drive will expend a massive amount of energy that will "warp" (contract and twist) space time behind the spacecraft, which will create a space time "bubble." This bubble, which will be created around the ship and curved behind it, will theoretically reduce the distance that the ship will have to travel. Read Also: Scientists Announces Space Warp Drive is Now Possible: NASA Might Apply it for Space Exploration The Alcubierre Drive: How It (Theoretically) Works These are the main principles that drive (pun intended) the NASA warp drive. The human crew aboard would've aged slower, while hundreds (or even thousands of years) would've already passed back home, making them essentially time travelers into the future. Known as time dilation, this phenomenon can be explained simply as follows: a spacecraft going at the speed of light would experience time far slower than a person on Earth. The second reason is that any spacecraft approaching the speed of light will have its clock slow down relative to clocks on Earth. There's a reason Einstein called the speed of light "the cosmic speed limit": nothing is faster than it. The first one says that a spacecraft cannot reach the furthest edges of the universe (let alone the Milky Way galaxy) within a reasonable time frame if it can't go past the speed of light, which is roughly 300,000 km per second. There are two limits that General Relativity puts to deep space travel. This, in turn, explains how the two things move through space. Einstein's equations state that spacetime bends as a response to the existence of energy and matter. ![]() It's just the science behind its theoretical performance is so mind-boggling, you'd swear it came from the overactive imagination of a Hollywood writer.Īccording to The Conversation, the story of the Alcubierre Drive starts with the legendary Albert Einstein and his Theory of General Relativity. NASA Warp Drive: Is It Even Real? And Where Did it Come From? Enter something that sounds like it came straight out of science fiction: the Alcubierre Drive, or what scientists call a potential real-life, working warp drive. ![]()
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