Thoughts on Alcubierre Warp Drive Theory

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

I've been reading about Miguel Alcubierre and his Warp Theory... I don't know what to make of it. What are your thoughts?

[Darth Wong]

I've been reading about Miguel Alcubierre and his Warp Theory... I don't know what to make of it. What are your thoughts?

It requires more energy than is present in the visible universe. Worse yet, if Einstein is correct about the speed of gravity, then it would be pointless because the "warp effect" would only propagate at c. Once it was created, you could make the trip very quickly, but if it takes 5 years to produce a warp bubble that extends out 5 light years in front of you, then you haven't entirely achieved the dream of superluminal travel (even if we disregard the fact that it won't work).

[Patrick Degan]

In a word, useless.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

I've been reading about Miguel Alcubierre and his Warp Theory... I don't know what to make of it. What are your thoughts?

It requires more energy than is present in the visible universe. Worse yet, if Einstein is correct about the speed of gravity, then it would be pointless because the "warp effect" would only propagate at c. Once it was created, you could make the trip very quickly, but if it takes 5 years to produce a warp bubble that extends out 5 light years in front of you, then you haven't entirely achieved the dream of superluminal travel (even if we disregard the fact that it won't work).

And very recently, IIRC, it has been demonstrated that indeed, Einstein was right, and gravity propagates at c.

[ArmorPierce]

Worse yet, if Einstein is correct about the speed of gravity, then it would be pointless because the "warp effect" would only propagate at c.

I think the first problem was the worse one and yes granmasterterwynn, it has been showned that gravity propagates a c.

[Enlightenment]

*punt*

Thread booted from PST to SLAM.

[Sokar]

So far everytime we try to disprove or circumvent Einstein, he comes back around to smack us like a puppy that just pissed the rug......
As it is, it seems quite likely that super-luminal travel is out as a means of interstellar flight. Which if you really think about it though is no huge loss, our own solar system has enough space, resources and mysteries to keep humaity fully occupied for a VERY long time. We have nine major worlds to explore plus what one hundred something moons? Thats not even counting the asteroid belt or the debris cloud that surrounds the Solar system(Cant remember what its called...) We tend to focus on Interstellar travel due to its central role in any number of sci-fi universes and books, and forget about the adventure possibilities right in our own backyard.

[Enlightenment]

Thats not even counting the asteroid belt or the debris cloud that surrounds the Solar system(Cant remember what its called...)

You're thinking of the Oort cloud. You're probably not thinking of the Kupier belt, but that's another group of interesting small rocks near the edge of the solar system. There's also hundreds if not thousands of asteroids inside the solar system proper, in the main belt (between Mars and Jupiter), in Jupiter's trojan points, and in irregular orbits here and there.

[Sokar]

AH! Spot on Enlightenment old boy! The Oort Cloud and Kupier Belt!

[Pcm979]

The downsides, as far as I can tell, are the fact that you'd need a Jupiter-sized mass of negative energy, and the only known way to turn it off is to fly into a planet.

[Silver]

"Gravity propagates at c"? I know absolutely nothing about physics. Could somebody please explain this statement to me?

[Col. Crackpot]

I've been reading about Miguel Alcubierre and his Warp Theory... I don't know what to make of it. What are your thoughts?

It requires more energy than is present in the visible universe. Worse yet, if Einstein is correct about the speed of gravity, then it would be pointless because the "warp effect" would only propagate at c. Once it was created, you could make the trip very quickly, but if it takes 5 years to produce a warp bubble that extends out 5 light years in front of you, then you haven't entirely achieved the dream of superluminal travel (even if we disregard the fact that it won't work).

let me continue to disregard the fact that it won't work and ask, what if it was more of a fixed device? like a 'jump gate' for lack of a better term. sure, at first it would take time to extend the bubble, but after it is created, could the bubble be entered and exited by craft seeking to travel it's length?

[Keevan_Colton]

"Gravity propagates at c"? I know absolutely nothing about physics. Could somebody please explain this statement to me?

Gravity travels at the speed of light.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Should be interesting seeing how you'd navigate with it too even if it worked given you're going FTL, can't see for shit if you go smack into a zonking big 'roid.

[Keevan_Colton]

Should be interesting seeing how you'd navigate with it too even if it worked given you're going FTL, can't see for shit if you go smack into a zonking big 'roid.

Hmm....perhaps someone should consult Holly on that one.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Should be interesting seeing how you'd navigate with it too even if it worked given you're going FTL, can't see for shit if you go smack into a zonking big 'roid.

Hmm....perhaps someone should consult Holly on that one.

RIMMER: But a Black Hole's a huge, compacted star! It's millions of
miles wide! Why didn't you see it on the radar screen?

HOLLY: Well, the thing about a Black Hole - it's main distinguishing
feature - is it's black. And the thing about space, your basic space
colour is black. So how are you s'posed to see them?

RIMMER: But five of them! How can you be ambushed by five Black Holes?

HOLLY: Always the way, isn't it? You hang around in Deep Space for three
million years and you don't see one. Then, all of a sudden, five all
turn up at once.

...

HOLLY: As it transpired, there weren't any Black Holes.

RIMMER: But you saw them -- you saw them on the monitor.

HOLLY: They weren't Black Holes.

RIMMER: What were they?

HOLLY: Grit. Five specks of grit on the scanner-scope. See, the thing
about grit is, it's black, and the thing about scanner-scopes...

RIMMER: Oh, shut up.

LISTER: (Sighs.) Come on. Let's go.

===============================================

Let's leave Holly out of this, mmkay?

[Keevan_Colton]

Should be interesting seeing how you'd navigate with it too even if it worked given you're going FTL, can't see for shit if you go smack into a zonking big 'roid.

Hmm....perhaps someone should consult Holly on that one.

RIMMER: But a Black Hole's a huge, compacted star! It's millions of
miles wide! Why didn't you see it on the radar screen?

HOLLY: Well, the thing about a Black Hole - it's main distinguishing
feature - is it's black. And the thing about space, your basic space
colour is black. So how are you s'posed to see them?

RIMMER: But five of them! How can you be ambushed by five Black Holes?

HOLLY: Always the way, isn't it? You hang around in Deep Space for three
million years and you don't see one. Then, all of a sudden, five all
turn up at once.

...

HOLLY: As it transpired, there weren't any Black Holes.

RIMMER: But you saw them -- you saw them on the monitor.

HOLLY: They weren't Black Holes.

RIMMER: What were they?

HOLLY: Grit. Five specks of grit on the scanner-scope. See, the thing
about grit is, it's black, and the thing about scanner-scopes...

RIMMER: Oh, shut up.

LISTER: (Sighs.) Come on. Let's go.

===============================================

Let's leave Holly out of this, mmkay?

C'mon its better than Voyagers screwups where space anomalies are concerned.....plus there is the Red Dwarf episode where Holly rants about the troubles of navigating FTL.

[kojikun]

Red Dwarf is the best scifi series to attempt realism. Whats great is, its probably the most realistic show out there.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Red Dwarf is the best scifi series to attempt realism. Whats great is, its probably the most realistic show out there.

Dr. Who and Blake's 7 were also good, Space: 1999 series 1 was accurate too (bar the bigass moons shifting boom).

[Keevan_Colton]

Red Dwarf is the best scifi series to attempt realism. Whats great is, its probably the most realistic show out there.

Dr. Who and Blake's 7 were also good, Space: 1999 series 1 was accurate too (bar the bigass moons shifting boom).

Hmm...and what do the above have in common?

[Admiral Valdemar]

Red Dwarf is the best scifi series to attempt realism. Whats great is, its probably the most realistic show out there.

Dr. Who and Blake's 7 were also good, Space: 1999 series 1 was accurate too (bar the bigass moons shifting boom).

Hmm...and what do the above have in common?

I'd point it out but this is a board of SW or ST fans and I may get lynched.

[NecronLord]

Dr. Who and Blake's 7 were also good, Space: 1999 series 1 was accurate too (bar the bigass moons shifting boom).

Hmm...and what do the above have in common?

I'd point it out but this is a board of SW or ST fans and I may get lynched.

Ah Dr Who. I still remember seeing rememberance of the daleks and falling over when they got the technobabble right...

Dalek Sensor Operator: Omega Device entering Skaro time zone... Primary Stage neutrino release... core collapse instigated...

Space 1999: That moon must've been going helluva fast, as they reached an earth like planet within a year.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Hmm...and what do the above have in common?

I'd point it out but this is a board of SW or ST fans and I may get lynched.

Ah Dr Who. I still remember seeing rememberance of the daleks and falling over when they got the technobabble right...

Dalek Sensor Operator: Omega Device entering Skaro time zone... Primary Stage neutrino release... core collapse instigated...

Space 1999: That moon must've been going helluva fast, as they reached an earth like planet within a year.

It was a funky station that actually bumped into PLANET X, just turn right after passing Pluto and carry on for 30M klicks.

[Arrow]

I my opinion, the only chance at traveling at FTL is extradimensional travel. This depends heavily what directions the string theories head in and what experiments we can conduct on strings (if any). So, its a real slim chance.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Or wormholes. *eye roll*