Posted on 01/06/2006 10:07:57 AM PST by epluribus_2
AN EXTRAORDINARY "hyperspace" engine that could make interstellar space travel a reality by flying into other dimensions is being investigated by the United States government.
The hypothetical device, which has been outlined in principle but is based on a controversial theory about the fabric of the universe, could potentially allow a spacecraft to travel to Mars in three hours and journey to a star 11 light years away in just 80 days, according to a report in today's New Scientist magazine.
The theoretical engine works by creating an intense magnetic field that, according to ideas first developed by the late scientist Burkhard Heim in the 1950s, would produce a gravitational field and result in thrust for a spacecraft.
Also, if a large enough magnetic field was created, the craft would slip into a different dimension, where the speed of light is faster, allowing incredible speeds to be reached. Switching off the magnetic field would result in the engine reappearing in our current dimension.
The US air force has expressed an interest in the idea and scientists working for the American Department of Energy - which has a device known as the Z Machine that could generate the kind of magnetic fields required to drive the engine - say they may carry out a test if the theory withstands further scrutiny.
Professor Jochem Hauser, one of the scientists who put forward the idea, told The Scotsman that if everything went well a working engine could be tested in about five years.
However, Prof Hauser, a physicist at the Applied Sciences University in Salzgitter, Germany, and a former chief of aerodynamics at the European Space Agency, cautioned it was based on a highly controversial theory that would require a significant change in the current understanding of the laws of physics.
"It would be amazing. I have been working on propulsion systems for quite a while and it would be the most amazing thing. The benefits would be almost unlimited," he said.
"But this thing is not around the corner; we first have to prove the basic science is correct and there are quite a few physicists who have a different opinion.
"It's our job to prove we are right and we are working on that."
He said the engine would enable spaceships to travel to different solar systems. "If the theory is correct then this is not science fiction, it is science fact," Prof Hauser said.
"NASA have contacted me and next week I'm going to see someone from the [US] air force to talk about it further, but it is at a very early stage. I think the best-case scenario would be within the next five years [to build a test device] if the technology works."
The US authorities' attention was attracted after Prof Hauser and an Austrian colleague, Walter Droscher, wrote a paper called "Guidelines for a space propulsion device based on Heim's quantum theory".
Quadruple post.
I hear the "Palestinians" are working on one too.
That's where I stopped reading............
Let me guess - it runs on dilithium?
Sounds a lot like the Infinite Improbability Drive to me!
I don't know if this would be a dimension of science fiction or science, but anways... PING!
World class IF.
This is pure speculation at this point. There are a number of SF writers who do such speculation better.
I'm sure they said similar things about the manhatten project - I mean this little tin can can produce HOW MUCH energy?
Zephraim Chochran is the lead scientist on this project.
Is it based upon technology from the alien spaceship sequestered at Area 51?
Hey DUmmies, we're just 10 dollars away from perfecting the warp drive that'll send The Smirk and his cronies on a one-way trip to see the Klingons around Uranus!
A three-hour tour?
It's a perfect idea, now to get the law of physics to recognize it. It's the new CartBeforeTheHorse Warp engine.
warpppppPING!
It sure should be too long for Spock :)
Actually, relativity does not preclude faster than light travel, which is common at the quantum level. Since the connections between quantum mechanics and gravity are not worked out in the generally accepted models of physics, we are due for some major surprises. Notably, the proposed drive works by manipulating gravity, a common literary device in science fiction. Perhaps it will also be a feature of manned space vehicles in the next decade or two.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.