Warp Drive
The dreamers at the British Interplanetary Society are thinking big today. They're hosting scientists and engineers from around the world who are studying the theory behind warp drive -- the propulsion system that powers fictional starships. They may not be sending anyone to Vulcan anytime soon, but they are learning more about how the universe works.
About a decade ago, a scientist named Miguel Alcubierre came up with a theoretical basis for warp drive.
He used Albert Einstein's theory of gravity to formulate a "bubble" in spacetime. The bubble would expand spacetime in front of a starship, and shrink it behind the ship. That would push the bubble forward -- and the spaceship inside along with it. Most important, it's possible that the speed of light would be increased inside the bubble -- making it possible to travel to the stars at warp speed.
There are lots of obstacles to creating and using a warp bubble, though. You would need "negative energy" to power it -- something that exists in nature, but that no one knows how to create. You'd also need a way to control the warp bubble.
Scientists are studying these problems, though; they've published more than 50 papers on the physics behind warp drive. They touch on such topics as gravity, quantum physics, and the behavior of light. So while scientists ponder ways to send starships warping through the universe, they're also learning a great deal about the universe itself.
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2007
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