The history of the Alcubierre drive is that in 1994, M.A. published his article showing that, with the right metric, you could propel a ship locally slower than light but globally faster, by compressing the space ahead and expanding it behind. In 1997, another article (I forget the authors)...
The main problem will be the low gravity. Astronauts/cosmonauts in 0 g for long periods experience bone mass loss, blood loss, and muscle atrophy. A permanent colony would either have to be centrifuged or force everyone to work out in a centrifuge fairly often.
If Earth were in pure radiative equilibrium, there would be a temperature discontinuity between the air just above the ground, and the ground itself. In some circumstances (like an inversion in certain locales), you can actually see this happen, with temperatures different by several tens of K...
I'm Barton Paul Levenson, 54, currently working as a computer programmer. I have a B.S. in physics (Pitt '83) and one (count 'em, one!) paper in a peer-reviewed journal so far. My interests on the science side include astronomy and climate studies. Ask me anything--I can answer any question...