The world of science fiction has had some incredible inventions over the years. From Doctor Who's TARDIS and its incredible mobility capabilities to the teleportation abilities of the main characters in Jumper, sci-fi has a knack for coming up with incredible methods of transportation. But now scientists think one sci-fi invention could actually become reality: warp drive.
Novo Nordisk may soon overtake Lego as Denmark's most valuable brand
First off, let me say that this is all theoretical and NASA has yet to develop a means of easy interplanetary travel, but the technology still seems impressive. With that fun rambling out of the way, let's get to the point where this development is trying to prove that warp drive will one day become a reality, allowing us to fly around space with ease.
Space.com reports that scientists from an American university have submitted a paper outlining how a warp drive would work. The paper includes descriptions of complex things like stable matter, shift vectors, and something called the Alcubierre metric. In layman's terms, all this means that it's theoretically possible to develop an engine capable of traveling through space at close to the speed of light.
The paper, published by the University of Alabama, outlines what it would take to build a spacecraft capable of reaching such speeds, meaning jumping warp speed may be closer than we think.
“This research changes the debate about warp drive,” lead author Jared Fuchs of the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the research think tank Applied Physics said in a statement. “By demonstrating the first model of its kind, we show that warp drive is not just something found in science fiction.”
According to the statement, the team's model “ingeniously combines traditional and novel gravity techniques to create a warp bubble capable of transporting objects at high speeds within the bounds of known physics.”
The timing of this paper's publication is perfect, as an international group of researchers recently launched their own project to achieve warp speed.
The development comes from Applied Physics, an international group of researchers trying to prove that Star Trek's warp drive is feasible, Popular Mechanics reports. The team has created an online tool, whose sole purpose is to find ways to speed up space travel, Popular Mechanics reports.
“Physicists can now generate and refine different warp drive designs with just a few clicks, advancing science at warp speed,” Applied Physics CEO Gianni Martire said in a press statement. “The Warp Factory acts as a virtual wind tunnel, allowing different warp designs to be tested and evaluated. Science fiction is now one step closer to scientific fact.”
As a public-interest company, Applied Physics is putting together a $500,000 grant for aspiring warp drive theorists, with some conditions, however: Mainly, the idea is to create a physical warp drive based on classical relativity, meaning it doesn't rely on “negative energy or faster-than-light matter” to run the time-bending engine.
That's a lot of money for anyone who thinks they can break through warp speed, but in space terms it's actually pocket change: Boeing's Starliner program, which launched just last week, has an operating budget of about $4 billion, and NASA's Artemis program is closer to $8 billion.
A version of this article originally appeared on Jalopnik.
