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The Downside of Warp Drives: Annihilating Whole Star Systems When You Arrive

Posted by Soulskill on from the minor-details dept.

MrSeb writes "The dream of faster-than-light travel has been on the mind of humanity for generations. Until recently, though, it was restricted to the realm of pure science fiction. Theoretical mechanisms for warp drives have been posited by science, some of which actually jive quite nicely with what we know of physics. Of course, that doesn't mean they're actually going to work, though. NASA researchers recently revisited the Alcubierre warp drive and concluded that its power requirements were not as impossible as once thought. However, a new analysis from the University of Sydney claims that using a warp drive of this design comes with a drawback. Specifically, it could cause cataclysmic explosions at your destination."

31 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. Not the destination that matters by discord5 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's not the destination that matters, it's how you get there. Nothing stresses this as much as blowing up your destination when you get there.

    1. Re:Not the destination that matters by sycodon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Crap, now the Environmentalists are going to get involved. It will never be built now.

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    2. Re:Not the destination that matters by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's not the destination that matters, it's how you get there. Nothing stresses this as much as blowing up your destination when you get there.

      Well, it would fit NASA's (unspoken) mission. Just like with the Moon - "to boldly go where no man will go henceforth".

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  2. Downside? Sounds like a perfect weapon system by Nadaka · · Score: 5, Funny

    Downside? Sounds like a perfect weapon system for interstellar conflict.

    1. Re:Downside? Sounds like a perfect weapon system by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Funny

      The longer the journey lasts, the more of these dangerous particles build up. This doesn’t affect the ability of the warp drive to keep bending the laws of the universe — it’s the stopping that’s going to ruin your day.

      Somebody set us up the bomb!

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:Downside? Sounds like a perfect weapon system by X0563511 · · Score: 4, Funny

      So it really is the sudden stop at the end that gets you...

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    3. Re:Downside? Sounds like a perfect weapon system by hamburger+lady · · Score: 4, Funny

      now we know what really causes those gamma ray bursts we detect from time to time.

      --

      ---
      Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
    4. Re:Downside? Sounds like a perfect weapon system by Zephyn · · Score: 4, Funny

      Somebody set us up the bomb!

      Actually, it reminded me of the Picard manoeuvre...

      Or the Samantha Carter maneuver...

      "You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."

    5. Re:Downside? Sounds like a perfect weapon system by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sounds like a perfect weapon system for interstellar conflict.

      Somewhere in the Milky Way galaxy, K'breel, Speaker of the Council, suddenly gets an idea....

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    6. Re:Downside? Sounds like a perfect weapon system by AwesomeMcgee · · Score: 4, Funny

      This is actually a completely viable means of travel, but returning would be a bit of a dick move.

  3. Dupe story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is old news, discussed in March:
    http://science.slashdot.org/story/12/03/02/1741252/warp-drives-may-come-with-a-killer-downside

    1. Re:Dupe story by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 4, Informative

      discussed in March

      Also discussed on Star Trek:

      http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Force_of_Nature_(episode)

    2. Re:Dupe story by Samantha+Wright · · Score: 3, Informative

      While the parallels are amusing, the issue in Star Trek was that subspace itself got damaged because of warp engines. There doesn't seem to be word yet on whether or not Alcubierre drives make any equivalent damage to the fabric of the universe, such as leaving a permanent distortion in spacetime once they've passed. (But it might be hilarious if they did.)

      --
      Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
    3. Re:Dupe story by elewton · · Score: 3, Interesting

      So more like the Soliton wave.

      http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/New_Ground_(episode)

  4. Duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    That's why you drop to impulse _before_ you go into the star system

    1. Re:Duh by X0563511 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      So why not stop off the ecliptic so your 'wave of doom' flies off into intergalactic space, then warp downwards and leave on the far side of the destination system, again throwing the 'wave of doom' off into intergalactic space?

      Or is the wave not directional?

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  5. Theoritical fix for theoritical problem by FilmedInNoir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If we have enough tech to make a warp drive we can probably disperse energy on route as opposed to all of it at the end of the trip.

    --
    Sig. Sig. Sputnik
    1. Re:Theoritical fix for theoritical problem by MozeeToby · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If we have the technology to make a negative gravitational gradient (which all the FTL theoretical engines require, incidentally) you can do a lot of neat stuff. Make a ball of negative mass matter and let go and watch it shoot straight up just for kicks. Of course, there's absolutely no reason to expect that such a material is possible; oh sure, the math works out if you assume it can exist, but that doesn't mean that it is physically possible.

    2. Re:Theoritical fix for theoritical problem by Samantha+Wright · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Failing that, you could make a collector that ships need to aim their build-up into. All it would take is a static warp bubble at the destination, which could then be relaxed under more controlled circumstances to recover the high-energy particles.

      --
      Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
  6. Duh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    FTA:

    "Although we often think of space as empty, there are loads of high-energy particles shooting through the void. The University of Sydney research [PDF] indicates that these particles are liable to get swept up in the craft’s warp field and remain trapped in the stable bubble."

    And

    "All the energetic particles trapped during the journey have to go somewhere, and the researchers believe they would be blasted outward in a cone directly in front of the ship. Anyone or anything waiting for you at the other end of your trip would be destroyed."

    Looks like SOMEONES never heard of Bussard collectors....

  7. They figured out how to weaponize it... by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Funny

    This will GUARANTEE it will be made. It is now a military project, warp cruise missle, set it to the destination via a nice long route and have it drop out of warp near the other planet or star...... KABOOM!...

    Freaking A, take that Omicron Persei 8!

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:They figured out how to weaponize it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually, this would be a very good thing.
      You know those killer asteroids they warn us about? Well, seems we finally have a way of dealing with them that does not involve Bruce Willis.
      Full steam ahead I say.

  8. Re:"It’s the stopping that’s going to by danbert8 · · Score: 4, Funny

    BULLSHIT. Stop, I order you STOP!!!!

    --
    Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
  9. Maybe this is where OMG particles come from by istartedi · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Advanced civilizations might have this drive, and prevent too much particle buildup. It might not be perfect though, so every once in a while a handful of particles come along for the ride. How else do you explain a proton with the kinetic energy of a pitched baseball?

    --
    For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
  10. "for generations" ? by Black+Parrot · · Score: 3, Informative

    The dream of faster-than-light travel has been on the mind of humanity for generations

    I'm guessing that that's 1, 2, 3, or 4 generations, since we've only known that the speed of light is a problem for space travel for about 100 years.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  11. What the hell?! by asmkm22 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I swear there was supposed to be a planet here...

  12. Outward gamma burst by cachimaster · · Score: 3, Interesting

    >All the energetic particles trapped during the journey have to go somewhere, and the researchers believe they would be blasted outward in a cone directly in front of the ship.

    At that energy levels particles will be converted to gamma radiation, expelled outward in a burst. Maybe sombody already invented those ships.

  13. Time Fuse by Ambitwistor · · Score: 4, Interesting

    is a short story by Randall Garrett. The crew of the first starship narrowly escape the supernova from their destination star by escaping back into warp. They realize that this isn't a coincidence: their warp drive blew it up on arrival. (They eventually realize that it blew up their origin star too: the Sun.)

  14. Re:That explains it by X0563511 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Now that's an interesting (and also disturbing) thought.

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  15. Re:Obligatory xkcd by Jeng · · Score: 4, Interesting

    http://what-if.xkcd.com/

    It talks about matter smacking into a planet at different energy levels.

    --
    Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
  16. Not a problem. by raehl · · Score: 3, Funny

    Build it, and if the environmentalists don't want you to use it, volunteer to meet at their place to discuss their concerns.

    --
    paintball