EmDrive Could Lead To Warp Drive

[mapuc]

As a Sci-fi fan especially Star Trek fan, this sound wonderful..one step closer.

http://www.inquisitr.com/2040259/did...to-warp-drive/

NASA scientists working on a project called EmDrive have accidentally stumbled upon something that will send science fiction junkies into a frenzy.

I love science news like this one

Markus

[Oberon]

Stranger things have resulted from accidents. Faster than light though, now that's impressive and will require quite a few laws of physics to be rewritten.

The most immediate beneficiary of this discovery could well be the Mission to Mars, allowing for instantaneous communications via FTL laser bursts. Heck, probes being sent to Mars and other planets would benefit from real or near real time telemetry and control.

Actual physical FTL travel is still a ways off though, but if the principles of it can be proven as sound, then that's a huge first step.

I love science.

[Wolferz]

I love it when science fiction becomes science fact

We've already seen the Star Trek data pad become reality.

We should see a LCARS system before we know it.

[mapuc]

A funny thought of this

If NASA is successfully in testing the warp drive in space, will we be contacted by Vulcan's or some other alien races ?

Markus

[Oberon]

One could argue that we're already part way to LCARS with touch-screen technology and icons, mobile touch-screen phones with predictive text. Although I must admit, I never saw Captain Picard swearing when his text message auto-correct to the Romulans created a diplomatic incident.

Anyway, hate to put a dampener on things, but I've had a chat with my sciency friends who are much more up on these things than I am, and they've both said that it's most likely a false measurement. We've had quite a few false alarms before, when something has happened once but failed to live up to expectations when repeated.

If it consistently performs as expected though, then things get very interesting.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by mapuc

A funny thought of this

If NASA is successfully in testing the warp drive in space, will we be contacted by Vulcan's or some other alien races ?

Markus

They could well have already rocked up, seen our reaction to human beings that are not the same as us, and decided they'd be better off leaving this planet alone.

[Raptor1]

IIRC there were reported problems with NASA's testing of the (so-called) EmDrive in the past, so I'd very much doubt this is anything but a measurement error. There's always the chance that they stumbled on something, but I doubt it.

Well, I guess if they ever get something like the EmDrive to work in the first place we might as well throw out the laws of physics altogether, including relativity. That doesn't seem too likely, though...

[Rockstar]

Im pretty sure nothing can travel faster than light in its own frame of reference. The Alcubierre drive theory (warp bubble) is one thought how an object of mass may one day may travel faster than the speed of light without throwing out the laws of physics.

[Catfish]

^
Ok let's say a spacecraft would be able to reach 1/2 of the speed of light, or maybe a bit more. Lots of reaction mass or a buzzard ram drive required, but theoretically possible.

Now you have two of them, and let them start in opposite directions ..

When each reaches 1/2 c, one is travelling at the speed of light, relatively to the other.
Not relatively to the starting point, of course, but ..

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Oberon

They could well have already rocked up, seen our reaction to human beings that are not the same as us, and decided they'd be better off leaving this planet alone.

I should imagine so

[Raptor1]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Im pretty sure nothing can travel faster than light in its own frame of reference. The Alcubierre drive theory (warp bubble) is one thought how an object of mass may one day may travel faster than the speed of light without throwing out the laws of physics.

The Alcubierre drive still violates causality, even if the ship doesn't travel faster than light in its own frame of reference.

Originally Posted by Catfish

^
Ok let's say a spacecraft would be able to reach 1/2 of the speed of light, or maybe a bit more. Lots of reaction mass or a buzzard ram drive required, but theoretically possible.

Now you have two of them, and let them start in opposite directions ..

When each reaches 1/2 c, one is travelling at the speed of light, relatively to the other.
Not relatively to the starting point, of course, but ..

Actually, in this case special relativity says that each ship would see the other travelling at only...0.8c relative to its own frame of reference, I believe.

[Catfish]

^
I would say that if both ships transgress the 1/2 c speed, they would simply "vanish", for the other. Not in a flash, just becoming invisible.

(Of course, "seeing" each other would be impossible, at the range they had both travelled until raching this speed – given our recent "exploits" in starship drives )

How fast are galaxies travelling ? In relation to others ? How fast do they turn ?

[Eichhörnchen]

Originally Posted by Oberon

They could well have already rocked up, seen our reaction to human beings that are not the same as us, and decided they'd be better off leaving this planet alone.

"I regret we must cut short our visit to your planet and return to our own home, Earthman, as we are afraid we may have left the gas on..."

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by mapuc

A funny thought of this

If NASA is successfully in testing the warp drive in space, will we be contacted by Vulcan's or some other alien races ?

Markus

Ve already did!

[Rhodes]