Taking a bubble to the stars
We who dream of interstellar travel are daunted by a seemingly unbreakable law of physics suggested by Einstein: nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. And even at that speed, there are only a handful of Class G or K stars (similar enough to our sun to be the home of life as we know it) close enough for us to reach them in a lifetime.
Star Trek suggested warp speed as a solution; Babylon 5 and numerous other sci fi yarns have postulated a kind of hyperspace one could travel through in which distances are shorter. Some sci-fi authors have spoken of "folding space" to bring cosmically distant points closer together.
Now, scientists are suggesting that something vaguely similar to what I understand the principle of warp drive to be might actually be possible.
May they be right.
Star Trek suggested warp speed as a solution; Babylon 5 and numerous other sci fi yarns have postulated a kind of hyperspace one could travel through in which distances are shorter. Some sci-fi authors have spoken of "folding space" to bring cosmically distant points closer together.
Now, scientists are suggesting that something vaguely similar to what I understand the principle of warp drive to be might actually be possible.
May they be right.
Comments
"Although this number may appear enormous, it is certainly an improvement on earlier calculations, which
indicated that the warp drive would require more mass-energy than is contained in the entire observable universe."
That's definitely an improvement in (calculated) 'gas mileage'!