>> LEAPING ACROSS GALAXIES IN A
FRACTION OF A SECOND, PROPELLED
BY A FORM OF ENERGY WITH
UNIMAGINABLE POWER, TAKING
MANKIND BEYOND THE ULTIMATE
FRONTIER INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE
UNIVERSE.
I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.
I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST AND
A SCIENCE FICTION FAN.
JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW TO
MAKE SCI-FI SCIENCE.
SCIENCE FICTION IS FULL OF
HEROIC STORIES, OF GREAT
ADVENTURERS EXPLORING NEW WORLDS
AMONG THE STARS.
BUT FOR YEARS, ALL OF THIS WAS
DISMISSED AS PURE FANTASY
BECAUSE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
STARS IS TOO GREAT.
BUT I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW WE
MIGHT ONE DAY EXPLORE THE
UNIVERSE.
IMAGINE IF WE COULD DESIGN A
SPACECRAFT AS ADVANCED AS THE
ENTERPRISE, A STARSHIP THAT
COULD JUMP TO WARP SPEED AT THE
FLICK OF A SWITCH.
OF COURSE, FOR ANY SERIOUS
SCI-FI FAN, BEING ABLE TO ZIP
AROUND GALAXIES IN A FLASH IS
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
>> TO EXPLORE STRANGE NEW
WORLDS, TO SEEK OUT NEW LIFE AND
NEW CIVILIZATIONS, AND TO BOLDLY
GO WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE.
>> TO ENCOUNTER THE UNKNOWN AND
MAKE IT KNOWN.
>> BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT IS OUT
THERE, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO GO
TO STAR SYSTEMS IN HOURS
INSTEAD OF YEARS.
>> COMING UP WITH A CREDIBLE
DESIGN FOR A STARSHIP THAT WILL
ALSO SATISFY THE FANS IS GOING
TO BE QUITE A CHALLENGE.
TO REACH THE STARS, I NEED TO
TRAVEL A DISTANCE OF TRILLIONS
OF MILES WITHIN A REASONABLE
TIME SPAN.
EXPLORATION MUST OCCUR WITHIN A
HUMAN'S NATURAL LIFETIME.
OUR GALAXY ALONE IS 100,000
LIGHT-YEARS ACROSS, AND THERE
COULD BE AS MANY AS 500 BILLION
GALAXIES IN THE PHYSICAL
UNIVERSE.
IT'S A MIND-BOGGLINGLY COLOSSAL
PLACE.
TO COVER EVEN A SMALL PART OF
THE DISTANCE ACROSS THE
UNIVERSE, I NEED TO TRAVEL AT
EXTRAORDINARY SPEEDS.
THE FASTEST THING IN THE
UNIVERSE IS LIGHT.
IT TRAVELS AT 670 MILLION MILES
PER HOUR.
SO FAR NO ONE HAS DESIGNED ANY
KIND OF VEHICLE THAT CAN TRAVEL
AT EVEN A FRACTION OF THAT
SPEED.
AT THE BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL
LABORATORY IN NEW YORK, YOU
START TO GET SOME IDEA OF HOW
HARD IT WOULD BE TO BUILD A
CRAFT THAT REACHED ANYWHERE NEAR
THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
HERE, SCIENTISTS ACCELERATE
ELECTRONS TO MIND-BLOWING
SPEEDS.
THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGINS.
THINK OF YOURSELF AS AN ELECTRON
INSIDE A LIGHT BULB OR INSIDE
YOUR TV SET.
HERE THERE'S A HOT WIRE WHICH
BOILS OFF ELECTRONS WHICH ARE
THEN ACCELERATED THROUGH THIS
PIPE.
AND OVER THERE, ENERGY IN THE
FORM OF MICROIRRADIATION IS
PUMPED INTO THE BEAM, WHICH
GIVES THE ELECTRONS A PUSH.
JUST IN THIS DISTANCE, THEY'RE
TRAVELING AT ALMOST 20,000 MILES
PER SECOND.
THEN USING A HUGE AMOUNTS OF
ELECTRICITY, ELECTRONS ARE
CATAPULTED AROUND A
760-YARD-LONG RING TO
99.999% OF LIGHT SPEED.
THEY EMERGE AS A SERIES OF
HIGHLY CONCENTRATED BEAMS OF
ENERGY.
>> IT COMES ALL THE WAY THROUGH
HERE AND ACTUALLY COMES INTO
THIS MICROSCOPE SYSTEM WE CAN
ACTUALLY DO SCIENTIFIC
EXPERIMENTS WITH.
AND YOU'RE SEEING JUST THE
VISIBLE PORTION OF THE BEAM.
>> BUT IN 30 YEARS OF
ACCELERATING MICROPARTICLES, NO
ELECTRON HAS EVER REACHED THE
SPEED OF LIGHT.
THAT'S BECAUSE E = MC2, THE
FASTER AN OBJECT TRAVELS, THE
MORE MASS IT GAINS.
AND IF IT REACHED LIGHT SPEED,
IT WOULD GAIN INFINITE MASS.
THE TEAM HERE AT BROOKHAVEN
PROVE EINSTEIN'S THEORY EVERY
DAY.
>> THE ELECTRONS ARE TRAVELING
TO WITHIN 10 TO 100 BILLIONTHS
OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
IF WE TRIED TO ACCELERATE THEM
ANY HIGHER, THEY'D BECOME MORE
MASSIVE, BUT THEY'D NEVER GO
FASTER OR EVEN AS FAST AS THE
SPEED OF LIGHT.
>> SO IF IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO
ACCELERATE ONE SINGLE MINUTE
ELECTRON TO LIGHT SPEED, THERE'S
NO CHANCE OF A STARSHIP GETTING
THERE.
EVEN IF SOME FUTURE ADVANCED
CIVILIZATION WERE ABLE TO
ACCELERATE UP TO THOSE SPEEDS,
THEY'D STILL FACE SOME BIG
PROBLEMS.
TO KEEP SOMETHING OF INFINITE
MASS MOVING, THEY'D NEED MORE
ENERGY THAN EXISTS IN THE ENTIRE
UNIVERSE.
AND IF THEY COULD SOMEHOW REACH
THE MAGICAL 670 MILLION MILES
PER HOUR, THE EFFECTS WOULD BE
DEVASTATING.
AS THE SHIP GAINED INFINITE
MASS, IT WOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY BE
CRUSHED TO NOTHING.
BUT MAYBE THERE'S A DIFFERENT
SOLUTION, ONE THAT DOESN'T
INVOLVE ACCELERATING AT ALL.
THERE COULD BE A WAY TO BREAK
THROUGH THE LIGHT BARRIER
WITHOUT VIOLATING THE LAWS OF
RELATIVITY.
THERE COULD BE A LOOPHOLE IN
EINSTEIN'S THEORY.
WE USED TO THINK SPACE AND TIME
WERE SEPARATE DIMENSIONS, BUT
THEY'RE NOT.
IN FACT, THEY'RE SO CLOSELY
LINKED, THEY'RE KNOWN BY A
SINGLE NAME -- SPACE-TIME.
IF WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, THESE
PIZZA-PIE PIECES REPRESENTING
LENGTH, WIDTH, HEIGHT, AND TIME,
WHAT EINSTEIN SHOWS US IS THAT
THEY CAN MIX TO CREATE A FABRIC.
THEY ARE ACTUALLY INTERTWINED
TOGETHER.
THE FABRIC OF SPACE AND TIME IS
DYNAMIC.
IT CAN BE STRETCHED.
IT CAN BE PULLED.
IT CAN BE COMPRESSED.
SO SPACE-TIME CAN BE ALTERED.
THAT'S VITAL IF I REALLY AM TO
DESIGN MY OWN VERSION OF THE
STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.
IF I CAN'T GO FAST ENOUGH TO
REACH THE STARS, MAYBE I CAN
BRING THE STARS TO ME.
IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT THAT THIS
PEPPERONI REPRESENTS YOUR
STARSHIP.
AND IMAGINE THAT THIS ANCHOVY
REPRESENTS ALPHA CENTAURI FOUR
LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.
IMAGINE FOR THE MOMENT YOU COULD
DO THIS.
SPACE-TIME IS COMPRESSED SO MUCH
IT EFFECTIVELY DISAPPEARS.
CUT A SLICE OF THE PIZZA OUT,
AND YOU REMOVE THE SPACE-TIME
BETWEEN YOU AND ALPHA CENTAURI.
YOUR DESTINATION COMES TO YOU.
YOUR STARSHIP IS NOW CLOSER TO
ALPHA CENTAURI, BUT YOU HAVEN'T
MOVED AT ALL.
SPACE-TIME HAS.
IT MAY SOUND LIKE SOMETHING
STRAIGHT OUT OF "STAR TREK," BUT
THERE'S ONE MAN WHO KNOWS IT CAN
BE DONE, AND HE THINKS HE CAN
PROVE IT.
>> I'M DESIGNING A STARSHIP THAT
CAN EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE.
I CAN'T TRAVEL AT LIGHT SPEED.
THAT BREAKS THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
BUT I FOUND ANOTHER WAY OF
COVERING THE VAST DISTANCES OF
SPACE.
I CAN WARP SPACE-TIME AND BRING
MY DESTINATION TO ME.
WARP DRIVE IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT
SCI-FI FANS HAVE KNOWN ABOUT FOR
MORE THAN 40 YEARS.
>> WARP ENGINES ARE POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY BEND SPACE.
>> "STAR TREK" USES WHAT THEY
CALL A MATTER-ANTIMATTER MIX,
TO CREATE A FIELD AROUND THE
STARSHIP TO BEND SPACE TO
ALTERNATE DIMENSIONS TO MOVE
FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
>> LIKE MAKING A FOLD IN SPACE
SO YOU WOULD MEET THE TWO
CORNERS.
AND INSTEAD OF TRAVELING THE
WHOLE DISTANCE ACROSS, IT WOULD
BE ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY FROM
POINT "A" TO POINT "B."
>> IT GETS YOU FROM POINT "A" TO
POINT "Z" WITHOUT HAVING TO GO
THROUGH THE ALPHABET.
>> BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT WARP
DRIVE IS MORE THAN JUST A
SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY.
AND HERE'S WHY.
THIS SHORT EQUATION MAY TURN OUT
TO BE A MOST EXTRAORDINARY
DISCOVERY.
IT MIGHT BE OUR PASSPORT TO THE
UNIVERSE.
AND THIS IS THE SCI-FI FAN WHO
CAME UP WITH THE IDEA WHEN HE
WAS A COLLEGE STUDENT.
>> I WAS WATCHING "STAR TREK"
ONE EVENING, AND I WAS IN MY
KITCHEN.
>> A CLOSET TREKKIE.
>> YEAH, EXACTLY.
AND IN "STAR TREK," THEY ALWAYS
TALK ABOUT WARPING SPACE IN
RELATIVITY, AND I THOUGHT MAYBE
THERE SHOULD BE A WAY IN WHICH
WE CAN DO THIS CONSISTENTLY
WITHIN RELATIVITY AND NOT JUST
TALK ABOUT IT.
SO I WENT BACK TO THE OFFICE AND
THEN I SPENT ALL SATURDAY IN THE
OFFICE DOING CALCULATIONS, AND
I DID COME UP WITH A MODEL, WITH
AN IDEA, IN WHICH YOU CAN DO A
WARPING OF SPACE-TIME THAT
ALLOWS YOU TO TRAVEL FASTER THAN
LIGHT WITHOUT VIOLATING ANY OF
THE PRINCIPLES OF RELATIVITY.
>> ALCUBIERRE'S COLLEGE
PROFESSOR WAS SO IMPRESSED, HE
ADVISED HIM TO PUBLISH IT.
>> I HAD NEVER PUBLISHED A PAPER
BEFORE IN MY LIFE, SO HE
ACTUALLY HAD TO HELP ME TO WRITE
THE PAPER AND ALL THROUGH THE
PROCESS OF HOW YOU ACTUALLY
SUBMIT IT TO A JOURNAL, AND IT
WAS PUBLISHED.
>> ALCUBIERRE'S EQUATION SHOWS
IT'S POSSIBLE TO WARP SPACE AND
TIME AND LEAP ACROSS THE
UNIVERSE IN MOMENTS.
HERE AT THE MULTIVERSE
EXHIBITION IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,
THIS TRAVELATOR HELPS US
UNDERSTAND HOW WARPING
SPACE-TIME CAN GET US ACROSS THE
UNIVERSE WITHOUT ACCELERATING.
THE EMPTY SPACE BEHIND YOUR STAR
SHIP EXPANDS RAPIDLY, PUSHING
YOU IN THE FORWARD DIRECTION.
IN THE SAME WAY FOR THIS
WALKWAY, NEW SPACE CONSTANTLY
EMERGES WHICH MOVES YOU ALONG
IN THAT DIRECTION.
AT THE OTHER END OF THE
TRAVELATOR, WE GET A SENSE OF
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN FRONT OF MY
STARSHIP.
SPACE IS COMPRESSED.
IN THE SAME WAY IN THIS WALKWAY
SPACE IS BEING COMPRESSED, WHICH
MOVES YOU ALONG.
SO, YOU HAVE THE ILLUSION THAT
YOU'RE MOVING.
ACTUALLY, IT'S SPACE WHICH IS
PUSHING AND PULLING YOU ALONG.
TO TURN ALCUBIERRE'S EQUATION
INTO REALITY, I WOULD NEED HUGE
AMOUNTS OF ENERGY THAT WOULD
CREATE A KIND OF BUBBLE CAPABLE
OF WARPING SPACE-TIME.
AT THE FRONT OF THE BUBBLE, THE
SPACE-TIME BETWEEN ME AND MY
DESTINATION IS COMPRESSED,
PULLING US TOGETHER.
AT THE SAME TIME, SPACE-TIME
BEHIND THE BUBBLE IS EXPANDED,
PUSHING ME FORWARD.
AND ALL THIS HAPPENS IN AN
INSTANT, MANY TIMES FASTER THAN
THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
SO I COULD FIRE UP MY WARP DRIVE
AND HEAD OFF TO ANYWHERE I LIKED
IN THE UNIVERSE.
BUT IT'S NOT QUITE THAT SIMPLE.
WHERE DO I FIND THE FUEL, THE
MASSIVE AMOUNT OF ENERGY I NEED
TO CREATE THE BUBBLE?
IT'S AN ABSURDLY GIGANTIC
AMOUNT, MORE ENERGY THAN THAT
FOUND ON PLANET EARTH.
SO MY POWER SOURCE WILL HAVE TO
BE REALLY SPECIAL, SOMETHING
LIKE THE DILITHIUM CRYSTALS THAT
FUEL THE ENGINES OF THE
STARSHIP ENTERPRISE.
NOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE'RE
EVER GONNA FIND ANYTHING
RESEMBLING THESE MYTHICAL
DILITHIUM CRYSTALS, BUT WE NEED
TO FIND SOMETHING JUST AS EXOTIC
TO WARP THE FABRIC OF SPACE AND
TIME.
>> I'M DESIGNING A SPACE SHIP
THAT CAN EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE.
THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO
BUILD A WARP DRIVE RIGHT OUT OF
"STAR TREK."
THE WARP DRIVE WILL CREATE A
HUGE ENERGY BUBBLE THAT WILL
BEND SPACE-TIME AND BRING MY
DESTINATION TO ME.
BUT TO MAKE THIS ENERGY BUBBLE,
I'LL NEED A PRETTY SPECIAL POWER
SOURCE, ONE THAT EQUALS THE MASS
OF AN ENTIRE PLANET.
AND IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT TYPE
OF ENERGY TO ANYTHING WE'VE SEEN
BEFORE.
>> THE BUBBLE WOULD BE MADE UP
OF ENERGY FIELDS.
AND WHEN YOU APPLY THE EQUATIONS
OF RELATIVITY TO THIS THING,
THEN YOU FIND THAT YOU NEED
NEGATIVE ENERGY IMPACT.
>> NEGATIVE ENERGY IS RIGHT ON
THE VERY EDGE OF OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE
UNIVERSE WORKS.
WE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT,
ONLY THAT IT'S VERY STRANGE.
FOR A START, IT MAKES THINGS
FALL UP INSTEAD OF DOWN.
BUT WHAT'S USEFUL FOR MY MISSION
IS THAT A COMBINATION OF
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ENERGY
PUSHES AND PULLS THE STARSHIP
FORWARD.
IF I USE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
ENERGY IN THE WALLS OF MY WARP
BUBBLE, I COULD BE IN BUSINESS.
>> THIS COMBINATION OF POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE ENERGY PRODUCES AN
EXPANSION OF SPACE BEHIND THE
BUBBLE AND A CONTRACTION IN
FRONT.
SO, IN FACT, YOU'RE CREATING
SPACE BEHIND YOU, WHICH PUSHES
YOU ALONG.
AND YOU'RE DESTROYING SPACE IN
FRONT OF YOU WHICH PULLS YOU
ALONG.
>> SO YOU CAN MAKE A ROUND TRIP
TO THE STARS AND BACK IN A FEW
MINUTES.
>> EXACTLY. YEAH.
BACK IN TIME FOR TEA.
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
>> THE BUBBLE ITSELF IS MADE OF
FIELDS OF POSITIVE ENERGY AT
EITHER END AND A BAND OF
NEGATIVE ENERGY AROUND THE
MIDDLE.
THIS CREATES HUGE GRAVITATIONAL
ENERGY WHICH IS SO POWERFUL IT
CAN DISTORT SPACE-TIME.
IT'S FAR FASTER THAN TRAVELING
AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, AND I
DON'T EVEN HAVE TO ACCELERATE.
EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE COULD BE
WITHIN MY GRASP.
THIS MYSTERIOUS NEGATIVE ENERGY
WAS EXTREMELY ELUSIVE...
UNTIL NOW.
HERE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY,
PHYSICISTS HAVE CONDUCTED
GROUNDBREAKING EXPERIMENTS THAT
SHOW THAT NEGATIVE ENERGY CAN BE
ISOLATED AND MANIPULATED.
THIS APPARATUS HAS DEMONSTRATED
THE IMPOSSIBLE, SOMETHING THAT
WAS ONCE THOUGHT TO VIOLATE THE
LAWS OF PHYSICS -- ENERGY FROM
NOTHING.
THIS COULD BE A KEY COMPONENT IN
OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUEL
THAT MAY ONE DAY ENERGIZE OUR
WARP ENGINE.
>> THIS IS CALLED AN ATOMIC
FORCE MICROSCOPE.
AND WHAT IT ALLOWS YOU TO DO
ESSENTIALLY IS TO MEASURE TINY
FORCES BETWEEN MICROSCOPIC
OBJECTS.
>> INSIDE A VACUUM, A GOLD
SPHERE LITTLE MORE THAN THE
WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR IS POINTED
TOWARDS A GOLD PLATE.
THEN SUDDENLY THE TWO OBJECTS
SNAP TOGETHER.
THIS ATTRACTION IS BAFFLING
SINCE NEITHER OF THE OBJECTS HAS
ANY ELECTRICAL CHARGE.
THEY SHOULDN'T MOVE AT ALL.
>> IT IS BIZARRE, AND IT'S THE
PROPERTY OF A VACUUM.
ESSENTIALLY, THIS IS FORCE OUT
OF NOTHING.
>> FORCE OUT OF NOTHING.
>> YES, EXACTLY RIGHT.
>> THIS STRANGE FORCE IS DUE TO
SUBATOMIC PARTICLES.
AN EMPTY VACUUM IS NOT WHAT IT
SEEMS, AS WE CAN SEE FROM THIS
SIMPLE FLASK.
YOU MAY THINK THAT THIS FLASK IS
EMPTY WITH ALL THE AIR SUCKED
OUT.
ACTUALLY, IT'S TEEMING WITH
ACTIVITY, FROTHING WITH
SUBATOMIC PARTICLES DARTING IN
AND OUT OF EXISTENCE.
INSIDE A VACUUM, PARTICLES
SMALLER THAN AN ATOM ARE
CONTINUOUSLY APPEARING FROM
NOWHERE AND THEN DISAPPEARING
ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY.
IT SEEMS STRANGE BECAUSE IT IS.
WELCOME TO THE WEIRD WORLD OF
QUANTUM MECHANICS.
WHAT'S KEY IS THAT THESE TEEMING
MICROPARTICLES CREATE PRESSURE.
IMAGINE IF YOU HAD TWO PARALLEL
PLATES VERY CLOSE TOGETHER IN A
VACUUM.
THERE ARE FEWER PARTICLES
BETWEEN THE TWO PLATES THAN
THERE ARE OUTSIDE THEM.
THIS CREATES A DIFFERENCE IN
PRESSURE, AND THE TWO PLATES ARE
PULLED TOGETHER.
IT'S A VERY TINY FOREST, BUT IT
HAS BEEN ACCURATELY MEASURED
HERE AT HARVARD.
THE FORCE OF NEGATIVE ENERGY IS
ONE OF THE MAIN ELEMENTS I NEED
FOR MY WARP BUBBLE.
SO, MY SPACECRAFT IS NOW
EQUIPPED WITH AN ENGINE, A WARP
DRIVE THAT CAN DISTORT
SPACE-TIME.
IT WILL CARRY A COMBINATION OF
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ENERGIES
TO CREATE THE BUBBLE AROUND THE
SHIP AND WILL BRING MY
DESTINATION TO ME.
MY CRAFT IS AT THE CENTER OF AN
ENORMOUS BALL OF ENERGY THAT CAN
CRUMPLE SPACE-TIME.
ONE FALSE MOVE AND ME AND MY
SPACE SHIP COULD BE SHREDDED.
>> I'M DESIGNING A SPACECRAFT
THAT REALLY CAN TRAVEL TENS OF
BILLIONS OF LIGHT YEARS ACROSS
THE UNIVERSE.
THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO
FIT MY SHIP WITH THE AWESOME
POWER OF A WARP DRIVE ENGINE.
BUT UNLEASHING THIS PHENOMENAL
TECHNOLOGY POSES ENORMOUS
DANGERS.
SCI-FI FANS KNOW BETTER THAN
ANYONE JUST HOW MASSIVE THE
RISKS WILL BE.
>> YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHERE YOU'RE
COMING OUT OF BECAUSE IF YOU
DON'T, YOU COULD LAND AND WARP
RIGHT INTO A STAR OR TO A PLANET
OR EVEN ANOTHER SHIP.
>> YOU COULD BREAK THE
SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM AND CHANGE
THE TIME LINE AS WE KNOW IT.
>> YOU COULD WIND UP HALF IN AND
HALF OUT OF SOMETHING, AND SINCE
TWO THINGS CAN'T EXIST IN THE
SAME SPACE AT THE SAME TIME,
THEY'D JUST BLOW UP.
I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE REALLY
SCARY.
THAT WOULD END YOUR TRIP REAL
QUICK, WOULDN'T IT?
>> THEY'RE RIGHT TO BE WORRIED,
AND EXPERTS AGREE.
THE AMOUNT OF SEETHING ENERGY
SURROUNDING MY SHIP IS
TERRIFYING.
>> I'VE SEEN CALCULATIONS THAT
SHOW THAT YOU WOULD NEED AT
LEAST ABOUT SOMETHING THE SIZE
OF JUPITER IN NEGATIVE ENERGY TO
BE ABLE TO CREATE A BUBBLE THIS
SIZE.
>> IT WOULD BE LIKE FLYING
AROUND IN A BLACK HOLE.
>> ANYTHING THAT TOUCHES THE
BUBBLE WOULD BE ESSENTIALLY
DESTROYED, TORN APART LIKE
SPAGHETTI.
>> WHAT'S MORE, IF I COLLIDED
WITH SOMETHING, MY SHIP COULD BE
PULVERIZED, OR THE WARP BUBBLE
ITSELF COULD BE DESTABILIZED.
>> IMAGINE YOU'RE INSIDE ONE OF
THESE WARP BUBBLES TRAVELING
FASTER THAN LIGHT.
NOW, EVERYTHING SHOULD BE OKAY.
BUT IF THINGS START TO GO AWRY,
IF THE ENERGY STARTS TO GET OUT
OF BALANCE, YOU COULD BE
DISTORTED HORRIBLY, AND ALSO, IF
THAT ENERGY WAS RELEASED, IT
COULD DESTROY ALL THE MATTER IN
THE VICINITY.
>> I DON'T THINK CAPTAIN KIRK
AND HIS CREW WOULD SIGN UP FOR
THE ENTERPRISE IF THEY HAD TO
FACE SUCH HORRIFIC RISKS.
BUT I THINK I MAY HAVE A WAY
AROUND THIS PROBLEM.
TIME TO UNVEIL MY DESIGN TO THE
SCI-FI FANS.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TODAY I'M
GONNA UNVEIL FOR YOU A WARP
DRIVE THAT WILL TAKE US TO THE
STARS.
ALL YOU NEED IS ONE
INGREDIENT --
NEGATIVE ENERGY.
AND THAT IS THE GASOLINE.
THAT'S THE FUEL NECESSARY TO
DRIVE A STARSHIP.
SO HERE'S WHAT THE DESIGN LOOKS
LIKE.
WHEN I ENGAGE MY WARP DRIVE
GENERATOR, A WHOLE PLANET'S
WORTH OF POWER COURSES THROUGH
THE SYSTEM.
HUGE GRAVITATIONAL ENERGY
DISTORTS SPACE-TIME, AND I REACH
THE FARTHEST GROUNDS OF THE
UNIVERSE IN AN INSTANT.
SO THIS IS THE KEY TO THE
DESIGN.
YOU COMPRESS THE SPACE IN FRONT
OF YOU, YOU EXPAND THE SPACE
BEHIND YOU, AND THE COMBINATION
OF THE PUSH AND THE PULL SENDS
YOU FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF
LIGHT.
MANIPULATING SPACE-TIME LIKE
THIS WOULD BE HIGHLY DANGEROUS.
SPACE DEBRIS FROM COLLISIONS
WITH THE WARP BUBBLE MIGHT
HURTLE TOWARD MY CRAFT, OR I
COULD BE CATAPULTED INTO DEADLY,
DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE WALLS OF
THE BUBBLE.
BUT IF I COULD CREATE ENOUGH
ENERGY FOR THE WARP DRIVE, I'D
HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO GENERATE
FORCE FIELDS LIKE THE DEFLECTOR
SHIELDS USED IN "STAR TREK."
MY SHIP WOULD BE SAFE.
SO THEN YOU ASK THE QUESTION,
"WELL, WHAT'S THE CATCH?"
TO POWER A WARP DRIVE ENGINE,
YOU NEED NEGATIVE ENERGY.
LOTS OF IT.
COMPARABLE TO THE SIZE OF PLANET
JUPITER.
AT THE PRESENT TIME, WE CAN ONLY
HARVEST MINUTE QUANTITIES OF
NEGATIVE ENERGY IN THE
LABORATORY, BUT IT'S NOT
SCIENCE FICTION.
MAYBE IN OUTER SPACE, ALIENS
HAVE ALREADY DONE IT.
PERHAPS OUR DESCENDANTS WILL DO
IT.
ALL OF A SUDDEN WE REALIZE,
"HEY, MAYBE THE ENTERPRISE IS
NOT SO FAR-FETCHED AFTER ALL.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> I WANT TO BE THE CAPTAIN OF
THAT SHIP.
>> I WOULDN'T VOLUNTEER TO BE
THE FIRST ONE, BUT ONCE IT WAS
PERFECTED, I WOULD DEFINITELY
JUMP ON BOARD.
>> I WOULD LOVE TO TRAVEL TO THE
NEXT PLANET, NEXT STARS, NEXT
GALAXY -- WHATEVER IS AVAILABLE
TO ME.
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS ACTUALLY
VERY FEASIBLE.
>> I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE
SIMPLICITY OF THE DESIGN.
>> IT'S EXCITING.
I MEAN, IT'S LIKE WE'RE LIVING
IN A MOVIE.