Computer. Give me the next question.
From Physics on Quora: “Is it possible to achieve warp speed? If so, what would be the process of building a ship capable of achieving it? And what potential challenges might arise for the ship and its crew?”
Okay, that’s great. Thank you for the three-parter, Physics on Quora. Leave it up to a bunch of actual science reality nerds to come to the science fiction nerds for their answers.
Now, I’m kidding.
By Today’s Standards, No
Is it possible? By today’s standards, no. That’s the simplest answer I can give you. Now, we live in Star Trek land. This is for the future. So by tomorrow’s standards, maybe.
And if so, what would the process be of building a ship capable of achieving it? Well, let’s see. Lots and lots of years, and for guys like you to do a little work with the applied physics and mechanical engineering people to make it happen. Basically, get the guys who believe in the Big Bang theory.
The Dish Isn’t There to Look Fancy
What challenges might arise for ship and crew? Ooh.
To get at the biggest ones you have to ask what warp is, and what it means to do all this. I think the idea behind Star Trek and its warp, at its easiest to convey from a fictional standpoint, is that you have several factors.
First and foremost, when you’re traveling faster than light, at warp so to speak, debris is a big problem. So what do the ships have? Each of the ships has this little dish guy in front of it. And it’s not just for looking fancy. That’s the deflector dish, and it does exactly what it sounds like. At all given points while the ship is moving forward, there’s an invisible energy field moving forward with it and moving debris out of the way. It’s very much like a reverse tractor beam in that regard, only it’s creating sort of an energy scoop.
It’s funny. There was a book once that laid out the design of warp theory, and it’s that a warp shell is created, and the warp shell moves in such a way that it looks very much like a chevron, like the delta. That symbol symbolizes warp speed. The little star in the middle is normally your ship, so to speak. The point at the front is created by your deflector dish, because you have to deflect things coming at you. You have to create that triangular effect, which lets things roll off those front shields and not hurt you.
Three Days Out, Three Years Gone
Now, another real-life issue of faster-than-light travel, warp if you will. We’re talking about time dilation theory. Time dilation is the concept that the faster you move, more time passes on Earth than is passing for you in the warp bubble.
And by the way, this is not how time dilation works. If you want that, please go to a science channel. There are many, many science channels out there that will give you actual scientifically based answers. Mr. Know-It-All is giving you an answer based in fictional engineering science for Star Trek. Okay?
In fact, the reason warp works the way it does in Star Trek is that at warp, time dilation is not even a thing. But in real life, moving faster than light, time would become an issue.
Let’s use days as a simple example. For every day you travel, let’s say, because again this is fictional, about 10 years passes on Earth. Let’s even say 1 year passes on Earth. So you’re gone for 3 days, and 3 years have passed. You come back 3 days later, and 3 more years have passed. You’ve been out for 6 years.
Now again, none of these are accurate time frames. Please understand that. Mr. Know-It-All is not a scientist. I’m just a genuine busybody who knows things.
At the end of the day, those are major hurdles to get past.
Keeping the Ship Stocked
I would think another one may ultimately be supplies. You’d have to be able to keep yourself supplied efficiently, proficiently, as it were. I feel like those are huge things to keep in consideration.
There you go, now you know, and if knowing is half the battle you’re halfway to being a know-it-all yourself.
I hope that answered your question. I’d love for my real-life scientists out there, people who understand science for real, to jump in and educate us, because I’m all about that. That is literally what this channel’s about: educating you, making you a know-it-all the same way I am, which at its fundamental core is really about having fun and enjoying some things.
If that didn’t answer it, tell me what your thoughts are. And if you understand the real science, give us the more accurate answer. The conversation lives in the comments on the video above.
