"Warp Factor two Mr. Sulu! Steady as she goes...." Topic

Warp Speed a REAL possibility?

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It's been theoretically possible for a while. I'm not too impressed by more calculations on the subject but am prepared to be very impressed if they can actually make spacetime warp. Even if it doesn't lead to any useful applications.

Be interested in seeing what these experiments can prove. Still, the article says that the warp ring will require exotic matter, which at this point is only theoretical.

Damon.

Wasn't Kevlar just theoretical at one point?

So was trans-Atlantic travel

Heavier than air flight

Main battle tanks

Computers

The list goes on – - -

riiiiiiight…..

Actually, the big "Holy Crap!" moment in this article to me is that the concept can actually be tested in a lab— and will be!

It's at the end, and the test would only "warp" 1 part in 10,000,000 of space time… but that we could actually even do that is nothing short of amazing. I hope it works.

I think there is a world of difference between the future possibilites of Kevlar, Transatlantic flight and computers, compared to exotic matter which has negative mass. While for the latter the math works, it has not been reproduced in the lab, so it may or may not actually exist.

Damon.

At least it's a starting point. Whether it turns out to work or not, a certain amount of optimism for our future is important.

Breaking the Sound Barrier, and Manned Spaceflight were as well, just a short time ago.

I certainly hope it's true, even if I don't get to go into space.

Would love to see some nice, closeup footage of the planets in another star system, even if only from a space probe; and/or reports from other lucky people that get to go.

lets see…………………….

Shooting a manned capsule to the moon with a blackpowder cannon.

Canals on mars.
The Aether.
Flat earth.Earth on back of turtle.
Laser pistols.
Space pirates with slide rules.

Probably for anything listed that finaly worked, there are dozens of things that didnt. Just because something is a theory doesnt mean it will work. That is why it is still a theory.

Be interesting if it does work. Even more nteresting if they can get it out of the lab with any practical uses. But dont hold your breath.

Owen

Yaarr…Let me be calculatin' the odds the dirtlings finally be spy'in me starship.
:)

oh, Badger22, straw man arguments there – To wit the 'Canals Of Mars' – "It is often stated that Schiaparelli intended the meaning "channels" or "Gullies" and that "canals" was a misunderstanding or mistranslation into English. Nevertheless, the English term "canals" was used from the very earliest accounts in English, and as far as is known, Schiaparelli made no effort to correct the supposed misunderstanding if he was aware of it. As the word "canal" can also mean "valley" or "watercourse" – not necessarily artificial – in English, the charge of "mistranslation" is unwarranted."

As to slide-rule-using Space pirates – Well, if they were English civil engineers, that probably *has* come true. When I was working in roading ( way back in 2007), our English boss seeking to find the source of mathematical errors in the reports we were entering in the lab software spreadsheets, decided to quiz us all and see if we had rudimentary math skills – he simply wanted us to calculate the cube root of 14 in our heads. No calculators. Well, we failed . . . his response was an email banning us from using computers or calculators for anything until we had developed " the atrophied muscle between the ears" that we were wasting, and in fact made arrangements to bring in solid, reliable slide rules for all calculations. He was defeated by three things -
1. The engineers complained that they could no longer access results from the lab computer system since we no longer used it.
2. The number of mathematical errors doubled.
3. The cost of outfitting all the lab staff with slide rules would have cost over NZD$500 – more than a month's budget for stationary.

Actually, that last is the main and often single reason advances in technology never make it out of the lab – not many people are willing to front up the dosh for a working model. Ask Dr. Bussard's people about their fusion generator sometime . . .

2.

Covert Walrus 17 Sep 2012 9:32 p.m. PST:

To wit the 'Canals Of Mars' – "It is often stated that Schiaparelli intended the meaning "channels" or "Gullies" and that "canals" was a misunderstanding or mistranslation into English. Nevertheless, the English term "canals" was used from the very earliest accounts in English, and as far as is known, Schiaparelli made no effort to correct the supposed misunderstanding if he was aware of it. As the word "canal" can also mean "valley" or "watercourse" – not necessarily artificial – in English, the charge of "mistranslation" is unwarranted."

I don't see many straws hereabouts, although it's not a very good example of "theory doesn't become factual".

Namely, regardless of mistranslations or lack thereof, Percival Lovell and others went even further than just theoretizing about the channels of Mars. They detected the nonexistent channels. As of late, we've had the superluminal neutrinos for example that "disappeared" when the case for them was properly examined.

So Martian canals are actually a good reminder for the time when the "warp drive team" announces they have made the space warp in a meaningful-in-the-context way (instead of the usual, everyday way): you always, but always double and triple check exotic results.

Anyhow, it seems not entirely uncommon among engineers and engineering-oriented folks to assume that since you've already piled ten bricks you can ten blithely pile ten more without causing the entire thing to collapse. Figuratively. That tends to lead to projects that really really really should work but have great trouble doing so:
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The chain from imagination to hypothesis to theory to practice can break at any point.

people always laugh at theories… many theories fail but some of them turn into a reality and push the science forward.

I believe that some form of efficient space travel will be discovered but is it warp drive.. will be seen.

It would be nice if they discovered a faster then light travel method in the next 20 years. Then all my current near future figures will work for warfare on alien planets. Can you see it, the US, China, Russia and all the others fighting over alien planets.

Ya, let humans spread across the galaxy unchecked by anything or anyone.

Greeeeaaattttt.

Lead Space 18 Sep 2012 4:51 a.m. PST:

people always laugh at theories…

Hyperbole.

On the subject of some of the theoretical hurdles on the way of this "project"…
(1) exotic mattet with negative energy density is at this time a theoretical construct and AFAIK the theory doesn't tell us if it's stable enough to be of any practical use if it exists
(2) in Alcubierre's original warp drive model at least, the interior of the warp is separated from the rest of the universe and from the bubble itself by an event horizon, which makes it pretty problematic to steer (presumably that would have to be done from the outside) or stop (other than by bursting the bubble)
(3) when (or if) the warp ship stops, the particles its bubble has gathered en route are released in energetic outbursts, very energetic in the case of the forward facing: energetic enough to destroy all known forms of life at the destination that come directly in front of the stopping ship -- making it a great weapon but less nice a transport.

But like I said, let's see them make a warp bubble first (preferably without irradiating half the planet) and then think of where we can go from there.

I think we'll just have to wait an see … as pointed out, many thing that at one time we thought was impossible turned out to be otherwise … Now I'm not saying in will happen or happen any time soon … But I'd like to keep an open mind …