Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Make that warp factor 5 please...

Hyperdrive? Might actually be possible: New Scientist Take a leap into hyperspace - Features [Heim] claimed it is possible to convert electromagnetic energy into gravitational and back again, and speculated that a rotating magnetic field could reduce the influence of gravity on a spacecraft enough for it to take off. Basically, this scientist named Burkhard Heim rewrote the equations of general relativity into a quantum framework in the 1950s. In doing so he discovered (it seems) a way to use electrical energy to affect gravity, and vice versa. Being very cautious about his idea, he only published one paper and did not trumpet his work until he could put together an experiment to validate it.

In the 1980s computer technology had advanced enough to run his calculations and (theoretically) prove his theory correct.

What this means is, in theory (I'm hedging a lot here), is that one could build a device (likely in space) which could warp the gravity field around an object, freeing it from a planet's gravity well, and furthermore, projecting it somewhere (as a vehicle, though it wouldn't surprise me if someone weaponized such a thing).

e.p.c. posted this at 03:52 GMT on 10-Jan-2006 .

Slightly acerbic and eccentric dog walker who masquerades as a web developer and occasional CTO.

Spent five years running the technology side of the circus known as www.ibm.com.

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