NASA's Official Position on Warp Drive

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Though NASA are strong inputters into the quest for making the warp drive and similar devices more than simple Science Fiction plot devices, their scientists have expressed skepticism and concern about warp drives. Our knowledge of physics and space-time is not yet fully formed, though many have revealed their belief in the creation of a real warp drive. Whilst the real thing may not come around in the near future, on a smaller scale, the foundations are being laid (with some already a reality).

Recently, though NASA published designs of what a ship with a warp drive would probably look like. It was designed by Harold White and Star Trek's graphic designer Michael Okuda. The ship has been named the IXS Enterprise. The ship, if eventually built, should require the mass-energy equivalence of Voyager 1, which weighs ~700 kilograms. By using Einstein's equation E=mc², -700 kilograms of mass becomes ~-65 exajoules of energy. Still, this number is not really definitive and can be further reduced. The ship (IXS Enterprise) has two thick outer rings which reduce required energy and that generate the warp field. The space inside the rings is optimized to fit more space for cargo, crew and equipment.

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