NASA planning to develop warpdrive?

[AdrianHudson]

http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/propulsion/clarifying-nasas-warp-drive-program.html

I don't know how good the source is and the issue date is suspect but could NASA really be on the road to developing something like this? They mention that $50k has been put into the program but if something like this was feasible wouldn't they dump way more money into the program to give it the best RND cycle? Seems false to me but would be interested in some input.

 

[AdrianHudson]

Popular science link:

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-03/warp-factor?nopaging=1

 

[tiny-tim]

Popular science link:

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-03/warp-factor?nopaging=1

that article is dated 04.01.2013 at 11.03am

 

[Jozape]

http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/propulsion/clarifying-nasas-warp-drive-program.html

I don't know how good the source is and the issue date is suspect but could NASA really be on the road to developing something like this? They mention that $50k has been put into the program but if something like this was feasible wouldn't they dump way more money into the program to give it the best RND cycle? Seems false to me but would be interested in some input.

They are still testing to see if it feasible.

 

[russ_watters]

PopSci has become notoriously poor at reporting science news over the past decade or two. Ironically, their sister, Popular Mechanics, is much better. That said, if you put the hype aside, the basic issue of the story appears accurate: NASA is doing Alcubierre Drive research ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive ).

While that's interesting/cool on an intellectual level, it doesn't go beyond that. The idea has a basic limitation that the "warp field" can't be set up faster than the propagation speed of light, so the first visitor anywhere would have to travel below light speed or just wait a very long time before starting-out, thus defeating the purpose. That's in addition to having no idea how to power such a thing or even if the exotic matter/energy it seems to require even exists.

 

[DennisN]

I couldn't resist

 

[Nugatory]

Searching the relativity forum for "Alcubierre" will find a number of discussions of this idea, including more on this particular NASA initiative.

 

[russ_watters]

I couldn't resist

Tachyon designated drivers might get arrested on the way to the bar, but once they get there, they can drink as much as they want!

 

[AdrianHudson]

that article is dated 04.01.2013 at 11.03am

THATS WHAT I WAS THINKING :p! Its a giant ruse haha :)

 

[AdrianHudson]

PopSci has become notoriously poor at reporting science news over the past decade or two. Ironically, their sister, Popular Mechanics, is much better. That said, if you put the hype aside, the basic issue of the story appears accurate: NASA is doing Alcubierre Drive research ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive ).

While that's interesting/cool on an intellectual level, it doesn't go beyond that. The idea has a basic limitation that the "warp field" can't be set up faster than the propagation speed of light, so the first visitor anywhere would have to travel below light speed or just wait a very long time before starting-out, thus defeating the purpose. That's in addition to having no idea how to power such a thing or even if the exotic matter/energy it seems to require even exists.

Do you think if they threw more money at it they would see an accelerated RND and thus allowing them to actually start going beyond and trying to find this matter. It seems that coincidentally CERN is testing if anti-gravity actually exists combing these two things could this drive be possible in 100 years?

Adding onto this, the higgs boson is what gives matter its mass correct? So the anti-matter counterpart the anti-higgs what would that do? The universe is oh so complex but it addd beauty to it don't it :)

 

[AlephZero]

that article is dated 04.01.2013 at 11.03am

Hm... it took this Brit a while to work out what was special about the 4th of January.

But thinking at sub-light-speed got there in the end

 

[D H]

That NASA is putting a small amount of money into this does not mean that NASA is "planning to develop warp drive." It just means they're putting a small amount of money into it. NASA has put larger chunks of money into technologies that are far from the mainstream. Very, very far from the mainstream. The rationale apparently is that even though this stuff is far from the mainstream, the potential payoff is so huge that it is worthwhile to put small amounts of money into these fringe technologies.

 

[AdrianHudson]

That NASA is putting a small amount of money into this does not mean that NASA is "planning to develop warp drive." It just means they're putting a small amount of money into it. NASA has put larger chunks of money into technologies that are far from the mainstream. Very, very far from the mainstream. The rationale apparently is that even though this stuff is far from the mainstream, the potential payoff is so huge that it is worthwhile to put small amounts of money into these fringe technologies.

Very true say, these high pay off fringe technologies would you say are like an investment where you invest a little bit of money and you let that investment grow or would it be better to jump on it and put a bigger portion of funding like say 200k or even 300k into it. If it is feasible it seems like an investment that's worthwhile.