NASA Designed a Warp Ship Inspired by Star Trek's Enterprise

Some pretty cool news here, ATS. NASA engineer and physicist Harold White is said to be actively working on a space ship that would allow travel faster than the speed of light. The concept is one that's been floating around in sci-fi films for a while now; a concept where these immense speeds are achieved by the Spaceship contracting Space in front of it and expanding Space behind it. I think I first heard this concept in the Contact movie with Jodie Foster-I love that movie! Anyway, here's the design for the spaceship which is known as IXS Enterprise.

star-trek-warp
Image via Paramount
If your head has yet to explode, sit tight—in concert with White, designer Mark Rademaker has now created a CGI design concept of the ship that would operate using this theory, which they have aptly named the IXS Enterprise. Per Rademaker in an interview with the Washington Post, the idea behind the concept art serves two purposes: to visualize their idea, and to inspire burgeoning young scientists.

So how close is this IXS Enterprise to becoming a reality? Well, the first step is proving that the math is realistically sound, which is what White is working on now. Still, this is kind of great, and it’s neat to see science-fiction being used to help actualize an idea that could radically change humanity’s place in the universe as we know it. See kids, science is cool!

A ship with Warp Drive? Is that cool or what? This isn't necessarily something new as I've seen this design floated around before. Still, it's a little exciting to see NASA is putting some weight behind it. What says ATS?

collider.com...

Put the warp drive on the back burner and get to work on that holodeck.

I think the Alcubierre drive has serious potential since on paper it doesn't violate our understanding of physics.

Would be nice if we spent billions on that instead of ways to kill each other better.

a reply to: lostbook

I've been trying to follow developments since I watched a YouTube video in 2013 (SpaceVision 2013).
Then last year they (NASA) tested a new type of engine to get us to Mars.
Now this.

The theory seems sound from what I've read about it (technical papers are kind of hard to come by).

Maybe this will be like Star Trek: First Contact? (Where we invent a warp drive and aliens see it and contact us)

Of course humans traveling the stars seems reasonable but aliens now way...we even picked up the idea from sci-fi movies but anything about aliens from sci-movies are laughable.......ok sounds fare...

This isn't the first article I've seen on this subject... S&F

originally posted by: Vector99
I think the Alcubierre drive has serious potential since on paper it doesn't violate our understanding of physics.

Would be nice if we spent billions on that instead of ways to kill each other better.

I this this concept works exactly the same way as the Alcubierre drive. The exact same concept.

originally posted by: lostbook

originally posted by: Vector99
I think the Alcubierre drive has serious potential since on paper it doesn't violate our understanding of physics.

Would be nice if we spent billions on that instead of ways to kill each other better.

I this this concept works exactly the same way as the Alcubierre drive. The exact same concept.

It makes sense. The MOST sense. I think we are close to the breakthroughs in physics that would allow us to make such a drive reality, because well, realistically this is the one that can work.

The hiccup is things in the way. FTL speed meeting even a speck of dust would create ummm, a bad day.

There's already a lengthy thread on this here, posted over a year ago.

originally posted by: Vector99

The hiccup is things in the way. FTL speed meeting even a speck of dust would create ummm, a bad day.

Assuming you're talking about the warp drive?

With a warp drive they would not bump into anything at light speed as they do not actualy travel at light speed, what they do is change their position in space.

Well...warping space happens. We know this. So the theory is sound.
I'm not really sure what maths he has to check.
But no one is warping any space to any practical level for a long time. Not without a huge mass or huge amount of energy, both of which are way out of our technical reach for the forseable future.

a reply to: VoidHawk

Yes I know, but there needs to be a way to keep the things in front of the "dip" out of it. The craft itself will remain virtually motionless while the bubble itself is what moves, but if something enters the bubble, it will enter at the velocity the bubble is travelling, hence, a bad day.

originally posted by: Vector99
a reply to: VoidHawk

Yes I know, but there needs to be a way to keep the things in front of the "dip" out of it. The craft itself will remain virtually motionless while the bubble itself is what moves, but if something enters the bubble, it will enter at the velocity the bubble is travelling, hence, a bad day.

Ah!
Ok, assuming they have enough power to warp space, then could they not warp it so that anything in front of them is warped to the side of them? Kinda like water goes around the bow of a boat.

a reply to: game over man

could you just imagine humans taking to the stars with their wars, death, illness, derangements, sexual perversions, lack of tolerance, Arrogance and out right wickedness.

No I don't think we will ever make it to explore, claim or inhabit any other system than our own for just these reason.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: Vector99
a reply to: VoidHawk

Yes I know, but there needs to be a way to keep the things in front of the "dip" out of it. The craft itself will remain virtually motionless while the bubble itself is what moves, but if something enters the bubble, it will enter at the velocity the bubble is travelling, hence, a bad day.

Ah!
Ok, assuming they have enough power to warp space, then could they not warp it so that anything in front of them is warped to the side of them? Kinda like water goes around the bow of a boat.

Well yes but that's the first hiccup. The power needed.

Second would be the need to keep objects out of the bubble. Water goes around a boat, but the things in the water don't.

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
a reply to: game over man

could you just imagine humans taking to the stars with their wars, death, illness, derangements, sexual perversions, lack of tolerance, Arrogance and out right wickedness.

No I don't think we will ever make it to explore, claim or inhabit any other system than our own for just these reason.

Well, yes i can. Because you might only see that bad stuff, but i see the mankind that has worked together to:

- Figured out quantum mechanics
- Land on a comet and send probes like Cassini and New Horizons and Voyagers out to explore for us where we cant yet go.
- Eradicate diseases like smallpox
- Vaccinate kids
- Harness the power of fission and soon fusion
- Provided most of the world with instant communication and information
- Build unbelievably complex machines like the LHC or ITER
- Find a problem (far too few neutrinos coming from the sun) and work on it for 30 years and solve it (neutrino oscilations)
- Discover penicillin
- Learned enough about chemistry by 1870 to create the beauty that is the periodic table of elements.

This is not even a grain of sand in the handful of incredible achievements of mankind. That we have and are still stumbling is no reason to not be proud. I understand that its easy to be negative about the human race, but i think its wrong to think like that.

So, yes. I can see mankind taking to the stars. And being warmly received by anyone out there. If that day comes.

originally posted by: Vector99
a reply to: VoidHawk

Yes I know, but there needs to be a way to keep the things in front of the "dip" out of it. The craft itself will remain virtually motionless while the bubble itself is what moves, but if something enters the bubble, it will enter at the velocity the bubble is travelling, hence, a bad day.

That's when Kirk says "Raise Shields!"

a reply to: lostbook

and Scotty says, "I'm given her all I got, Captain"

a reply to: lostbook

When I saw that picture I couldn't help but wonder if that's a smiley face on the front.

Maybe its so the aliens will let down their guard a little.

a reply to: lostbook


It confounds me why let some agency private or government come out with a pie-in-the-sky kind of incredible space drive concept and people go nuts over it. Look. most UFO reports indicate that those craft can do several things: hover, instantly stop and start, make right-angle turns at speed and do those attributes without noise.

What does it take to deduce what is happening? It seems clear that UFOs cancel their mass. That simple feature is easy to understand, totally without any lengthy explanation. It obviously is the solution to space travel at tremendous speeds. So why are these out-landish concepts constantly popping up? Part of the denial of UFOs and the power supply that they obviously use?


Even if alien UFOs don't exist and we have not yet developed a massless drive on our own, that is still the most logical form of space drive that you can imagine. Generate that enclosed fired of masslessness and pushing that vehicle can be down virtually with a light beam.

I'm still waiting on them hoverboards that Marty McFly made cool back in 89.

A warp drive ship is a bit much.