For many science fiction novels and movies, faster than light drive is what makes the storyline possible. Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, The Stars at War (David Weber)…they all use the concept of a warp or hyperdrive. In my own series Chronicles of Aria Prime, the loss of the hyperdrive is the catalyst for the entire series. But faster than light drive is pure fantasy, right?
Not so, says NASA physicist Harold White. He has teamed up with artist Mark Rademaker to create a 3-D CGI concept of a warp capable spacecraft. To be blunt, the design looks very Star Trek-ish, as does the name…IXS Enterprise.
White has been working on theoretical concepts of faster than light drive for years. In 2011, he attracted attention in the scientific community by publishing a report a report titled Warp Field Mechanics 101 to prove the feasibility of a warp-type propulsion. The paper outlined an updated concept for the Alcubierre Warp Drive, a hypothesis first proposed in 1994.
Alcubierre Drive takes advantage of a loophole in Einstein’s theory of relativity which allows for faster than light travel. According to these theories, objects can’t accelerate to the speed of light within normal space-time. Alcubierre Drive essentially “cheats the system” by creating a bubble of warped space-time. around the spacecraft. The empty space behind the warp bubble expands rapidly, pushing the craft in a forward direction.
One of the difficulties of this type of propulsion is the massive amount of energy required. That’s where White’s research comes in. By changing the warp bubble from a sphere to donut shape and oscillating the warp over time, energy requirements can be substantially reduced. Enough of a reduction, White believes, that this propulsion could become a reality.
So here’s the exciting part. While many physicists theorize, White is actually experimenting with the warp concept. Granted, this experiment is in the lab and looking for microscopic instances of space-time. warping. However, it is progress toward a practice faster than light drive.
Rademaker entered the picture after reading about White’s research at NASA. Determined to inspire the public about the possibilities of this technology, he spent months creating the CGI concepts that would eventually become IXS Enterprise.
“My own designs for the most part followed these guidelines. I do put research in things like era, events in the Trek time-line, plausible registry numbers and specifications of a ship. I put about three months of research in theXCV-330Ringship that Matt Jefferies sketched in the 1960s. I was asked to convert that sketch/blueprint as a 3D CGI model, I wanted it to look spot on,” the artist told CNET.
Like many concept cars from Detroit, the IXS Enterprise may never come to be. It’s also pretty likely that I won’t live to see the day when we travel to distant planets like Alpha Centauri, but it’s pretty awesome that there is research and experimentation with that goal in mind. Beam me up, Scotty.
Want to see more pictures of the IXS Enterprise? Here is a link to Mark Rademaker’s flickr gallery:
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