Military

DARPA and NASA Scientists Accidentally Create Warp Bubble for Interstellar Travel

December 9, 2021Lauren Coontz
NASA warp drive ship concept

A NASA concept illustration of a warp drive ship, the IXS Enterprise. Mark Rademaker/NASA image.

A Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-funded research project at NASA’s Johnson Space Center may have accidentally discovered how to build a warp drive engine. The scientists published their findings in July. 


Harold “Sonny” White, a NASA researcher at the Eagleworks Laboratory in Houston, Texas, published a research paper with his team in July about the “possible structure of the energy density present in a Casimir cavity.”


According to the reportthe Eagleworks team came across “a micro/nano-scale structure … that predicts negative energy density distribution that closely matches requirements for the Alcubierre metric.”


In other words, White and his colleagues accidentally created a microscopic experiment while researching how energy distributes around wavelengths — a theory developed by Dutch physicist Hendrik Casimir. The experiment resulted in enough theoretical energy to achieve “warp speed,” a concept theorized by Mexican mathematician and physicist Miguel Alcubierre.


If you used a Slinky for visualization, as seen above, the Alcubierre Drive expands the spring behind the spaceship and compresses the spring in front of it, leaving the space outside the spring alone, and the space inside the spring relatively normal. It would ensure that travel would take only days instead of a possible 2 million or more years, even at faster than light speed. Photo courtesy of YouTube.

In 1994, Alcubierre made waves in the physics community when he published his findings on the theoretical possibilities of “warping” interstellar space. He posited that it was possible to manipulate the fabric of space itself in order to achieve faster-than-light travel. 


Alcubierre said it might be possible to expand the space behind a starship and contract space in front of it, thereby reducing the intervening gaps between planets and stars to very short distances. In visualization, the concept was compared to a surfer riding a wave — a metaphor often used to describe how a ship could travel the stars. 


Alcubierre’s math, though reportedly sound, had some unresolved problems. Some of the theoretical energy requirements do not exist — or, at least, have not yet been discovered. However, the latest DARPA-funded research released by White and his team indicates that the energy requirements would be much less than initially believed. 


Alcubierre theory of warp drive
Like riding a wave at Newport Beach, the Alcubierre theory would involve riding the warped fabric of space to your next interstellar destination. Photo by Austin Neill/Unsplash.

If correct, White’s team has possibly discovered the world’s first warp drive. Even so, if scientists had all the materials they needed for the so-called Alcubierre Drive, the energy emitted off the space-fabric-warping spacecraft would be enough to rip planets apart.


Earlier this week, White told The Debrief, a science and technology magazine: “To my knowledge, this is the first paper in the peer-reviewed literature that proposes a realizable nano-structure that is predicted to manifest a real, albeit humble, warp bubble.” 


White and his team plan to conduct more experiments into the possibility of smaller models to better understand the opportunities of a prospective warp drive. Perhaps the Eagleworks Laboratory can take us from science fiction to reality.


Read Next: 26 Navy SEALs, Other Special Ops Troops Sue for Vaccine Exemptions



Lauren Coontz
Lauren Coontz

Lauren Coontz is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. Beaches are preferred, but Lauren calls the Rocky Mountains of Utah home. You can usually find her in an art museum, at an archaeology site, or checking out local nightlife like drag shows and cocktail bars (gin is key). A student of history, Lauren is an Army veteran who worked all over the world and loves to travel to see the old stuff the history books only give a sentence to. She likes medium roast coffee and sometimes, like a sinner, adds sweet cream to it.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Coffee Or Die Photo
Get Your Viking On: The Exclusive 30 Sec Out BRCC Shirt Club Design

Thirty Seconds Out has partnered with BRCC for an exclusive shirt design invoking the God of Winter.

Grizzly Forge BRCC shirt
Limited Edition: Grizzly Forge Blades on an Awesome BRCC Shirt

Lucas O'Hara of Grizzly Forge has teamed up with BRCC for a badass, exclusive Shirt Club T-shirt design featuring his most popular knife and tiomahawk.

BRCC Limited Edition Josh Raulerson Blackbeard Skull Shirt
From Naval Service to Creative Canvas: BRCC Veteran Artist Josh Raulerson

Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.

Medal of Honor is held up.
Biden Will Award Medal of Honor to Army Helicopter Pilot Who Rescued Soldiers in Vietnam Firefight

Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.

dear jack mandaville
Dear Jack: Which Historic Battle Would You Want To Witness?

Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.

west point time capsule
West Point Time Capsule Yields Centuries-Old Coins

A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.

Ouija Board aircraft carrier
Low-Tech ‘Ouija Boards’ Have Helped Aircraft Carriers Operate for Decades

Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
Contact Us
© 2024 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved