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NASA physicist explains how a warp drive could be a 'passport to the universe'

NASA physicist explains how a warp drive could be a 'passport to the universe'

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warp drive wiki commons
warp drive wiki commons

Back in September, plans for a NASA-built warp drive were revealed, bringing with them the possibility of exploring parts of the universe previously deemed unreachable. In an extensive interview with io9, Harold White, the physicist behind the project, explains how "faster-than-light" travel might be possible. Instead of propelling the ship forward at faster-than-light speeds, the warp drive moves space time around the object. The catch? It'll need a whole heap of energy to move an actual spacecraft — more than is available with current technology. The potential for space travel is huge, though: we could reach Alpha Centauri, 4.4 light years away, in just two weeks. For now, White's team is only focused on small-scale research inside the lab, but we'll be keeping a close eye on its progress.