Star Trek is real!

[naturalmwa]

NASA has shown a new propulsion system said to violate the laws of physics and capable of running forever with no propellant "might" actually work.
NASA: New "impossible" engine works, could change space travel forever

"EM drives could also be used on multi-generation spaceships for interstellar travel. A journey to Alpha Centauri, which is “just” 4.3 light-years away, suddenly wouldn’t be so daunting. An EM drive working under a constant one milli-g acceleration would propel a ship to about 9.4% the speed of light, resulting in a total travel time of 92 years. But that’s without the need for deceleration; should we wish to make a stop at Alpha Centauri, we’d have to add another 38 years to the trip. Not a big deal by any extent of the imagination."

Or maybe not:
Don't Get Too Excited About NASA's New Miracle Engine

 

[The_Joker13]

Whether it works or not this is exciting stuff. I Wish there was more resources made available to NASA as I believe space travel and exploration is key for the human race and its survival.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

"CalTech physicist Sean Carroll, who, earlier this week, equated the notion of "propulsive momentum transfer via the quantum vacuum virtual plasma" to "nonsensical sub-Star-Trek level technobabble," had more to add, telling io9:


The business about "quantum vacuum virtual plasma" (the physics of which they "won't address" in this paper) is complete bullshit. There is a quantum vacuum, but it's nothing like a plasma. [The researchers] hook up a gizmo with all sorts of electromagnetic fields fluctuating around, then claim to measure an extremely tiny thrust (about the weight of a single grain of sand), which occurs even for the test article that wasn't supposed to produce any thrust at all."

 

[The_Joker13]

"CalTech physicist Sean Carroll, who, earlier this week, equated the notion of "propulsive momentum transfer via the quantum vacuum virtual plasma" to "nonsensical sub-Star-Trek level technobabble," had more to add, telling io9:


The business about "quantum vacuum virtual plasma" (the physics of which they "won't address" in this paper) is complete bullshit. There is a quantum vacuum, but it's nothing like a plasma. [The researchers] hook up a gizmo with all sorts of electromagnetic fields fluctuating around, then claim to measure an extremely tiny thrust (about the weight of a single grain of sand), which occurs even for the test article that wasn't supposed to produce any thrust at all."

Thanks buzzkillington

 

[PhantomFlyer]

Thanks buzzkillington

Sorry. I didn't make up the quote or write the article.

I want to be able to use the transporter like they have on the Enterprise, or better yet, I want to visit the holodeck.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

If something is reported to violate a law of physics, at least one of 2 things must be true:

1. The report is wrong; or

2. It wasn't a law of physics, after all.

It will be interesting to see which turns out to be the case. A shame they didn't provide more details so we could try to understand what happened.

 

[lucas80]

Star Trek has given us so much. The iPad, medical displays, phasers, cell phones, hot babes in little skirts and conical shaped breasts. It just keeps on giving.