Questions tagged [alcubierre-drive]
The alcubierre-drive tag has no usage guidance.
11
questions
32
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Is warp drive a legitimate avenue of scientific investigation?
I've been reading a number of online "pop-sci" articles on the subject of "warp drive" - derived from work done initially by Alcubierre.
Some of the most recent articles say that there are ...
- 17k
14
votes
3
answers
7k
views
If we can make an Alcubierre drive, how fast can it move a ship?
Assuming we ever manage to solve the energy generation problem (and whatever other problems may face it) and build a functioning Alcubierre drive, how "fast" would we be able to travel? That is, from ...
- 321
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Alcubierre "warp" drive and gravitation/orbital considerations
There are a few questions regarding the Alcubierre drive here, so I'll pose this one and see what I get.
Currently, our space exploration vehicles, both manned and unmanned, are at the mercy of ...
- 2,756
11
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Alcubierre Drive and interacting with matter
What would happen when there is the warping of space occupied by matter? For example, if there is a ship propelled by the Alcubierre Drive, what would happen if it collided with something with mass? ...
- 377
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does the detection of gravitational waves prove we can travel faster than the speed of light?
From what I have read gravitational waves cannot travel faster than the speed of light. And since gravitational waves are part of the fabric of space, wouldn't that disprove the idea behind an ...
- 245
4
votes
3
answers
788
views
Why would a warp drive move you at all?
In my understanding of how a warp drive would function... Space in front of you would contract as space behind you expands. The bubble inside would remain unchanged meaning the spacecraft doesn't ...
- 141
2
votes
0
answers
698
views
Could the use of exotic matter be removed from Alcubierre Drives?
Im wondering if it is possible to create an Alcubierre Drive without any exotic matter. To clarify: What if you take normal flat space-time and you lower a section of it to far below the standard. ...
- 223
1
vote
1
answer
510
views
Faster than Light in our lifetime? [duplicate]
I'm wondering, how likely is it that we see Faster Than Light ships in our life-time, Nasa is currently working (more like figuring the basics out) of the ...
- 121
1
vote
1
answer
157
views
If you travelled at exactly the speed of light, what would the stars look like behind you? [closed]
If you were in an Alcubierre drive bubble travelling at exactly 1 c, I wonder what it looks like if you looked back, to the direction you come from. If you went faster-than-light you'd obviously see ...
- 379
0
votes
1
answer
148
views
Could the crew of a spaceship with an Alcubierre warp drive survive if it only performs small "jumps"?
Could the crew of an Alcubierre drive-equipped spaceship avoid getting cooked alive by hawking radiation if their spaceship engaged and disengaged warp speed periodically over short distances?
- 175
-2
votes
1
answer
95
views
Would the ship using the Alcubierre drive need to use conventional propulsion to move during warp? Or would the space-time "wave" push it?
I have found various explanations on how the warp drive works. And right now I'm confused. First I thought warp drive works by expanding space-time behind you, and contracting it in front of you. I ...
