September 29, 2012: Donuts Make Warp Drive More Plausible

Continuing on the theme of elements from Star Trek seeming less far-fetched these days, a NASA scientist recently proposed that warp drive may be more plausible than previously thought.

In 1994 Miguel Alcubierre presented a model for warp drive that was shaped like a flat ring and attached to a football-shaped craft. But the energy costs required for the device would be prohibitive. Now Harold White suggests that by changing the shape of the drive from a ring to a donut, the energy costs reduce dramatically and become manageable.

If they don't name the first warp-capable craft Enterprise, something will be seriously wrong with the universe.

-- Leonard Balsera