EmDrive: NASA May Have Just Accidentally Developed Warp Drive
NASA scientists working on an experimental propulsion device, the EmDrive, may have accidentally developed a warp drive system, accelerating laser beams to speeds beyond that of light.
Faster than light travel, commonly referred to as warp drive, has long been the stuff of science fiction legend, yet thanks to the inadvertent efforts of some NASA researchers, it may have just become a reality. Although their findings have yet to be confirmed, posts on the NASA Space Flight Forum have detailed the efforts of researchers working on the EmDrive system. They report that when lasers were fired into the resonance chamber of the EmDrive, some of the beams were found to be traveling at speeds in excess of that attained by light, long thought to be a physical near-impossibility.
ENGAGE! http://t.co/AAMDJ9vb0C @NASA could been found a little big step towards ¨Warp Bubbles¨ #FTL pic.twitter.com/PlX3WS3DmD
— Jose Valero (@noesviernes) April 28, 2015
If those findings are verified, it would indicate that NASA has inadvertently created a warp field or bubble using the EmDrive technology. As Mysterious Universe points out, several of the comments on the forum reveal aspects of the accidental discovery which have excited researchers.
“That’s the big surprise. This signature (the interference pattern) on the EmDrive looks just like what a warp bubble looks like. And the math behind the warp bubble apparently matches the interference pattern found in the EmDrive.”
Critics will be quick to point out that the measured effect, which seems to indicate the presence of a warp field could possibly be caused by atmospheric heating, as the Escapist points out. The next step for researchers will be to replicate the test in a vacuum, and if they are successful, it could mean that NASA is one step closer to generating a warp bubble large enough to power a spaceship. It is highly important, however, to point out that none of this information has yet been verified or peer-reviewed.
Space-time travel looks promising from recent @NASA studies http://t.co/8HQDKPdisA pic.twitter.com/GG4PHeyxpc — Quid, Inc. (@Quid) October 7, 2014
The concept of warp drive, while it has its deepest roots in science fiction, was first proposed scientifically in the 1990s by physicist Miguel Alcubierre. He posited that a field could be generated which would cause the space ahead of a starship to contract, expanding once more in its wake. Massive energy requirements, however, stymied the development of his drive system. In the meantime, NASA has been working on the EmDrive, a device that produces microwaves to generate thrust and requires no fuel to be consumed as a propellent, as the Inquisitr has previously reported.
While confirmation of the discovery is still pending, science fiction fans and scientists alike will no doubt watch the coming developments closely, hoping that NASA’s EmDrive experiments may have just set humanity on a path to warp drive.
[Image: NASA/ Mark Rademaker via Twitter]
