NASA 'Warp Drive' Might Take Humans to Mars in 10 Weeks

NASA is set to publish a paper on the possibility of warp drive. This would take humans to Mars in just a matter of 10 weeks. Yet, could this "impossible" engine be really made possible by the space agency?

The Starship Enterprise makes use of warp drive to travel to worlds beyond the universe, but all this is possible in the science fiction film. Yet, NASA is reportedly already on its way to creating their own warp drive engine that could hasten the travel of humans to Mars.

Warp drive, or the EmDrive engine, provides a boost to a spacecraft through bouncing microwaves around within a closed vessel. As for the microwaves, these gather electricity through solar energy. Basically, no propellant is needed.

It was in 2000 that the concept of the EmDrive was proposed by Roger Shawyer. Since then, four labs with NASA included have tried to recreate the EmDrive. Yet, a number of physicists claim that the concept of the EmDrive is simply impossible as the design goes against the laws of physics.

This however has not stopped the space agency from studying the concept of an EmDrive and even releasing their findings. Eagleworks from NASA will release a paper regarding their findings.

"It is my understanding that Eaglework's new paper has been today accepted for publication in a peer-review journal, where it will be published," states one user on the NASA forum.

As for Eagleworks engineer, Paul March, peer reviews for their paper are going slow so publication on their study of the EmDrive may take longer than expected. On the other hand where EmDrive is involved, a number of physicists suggest that the engine products exhaust just like any other rocket.

"EmDrive works just like any other engine," stated Dr Arto Annila, a physics professor at the University of Helsinki, adding, "Its fuel is the input photons at microwave lengths."

Would warp drive or the EmDrive engine be physically possible? View the infographic about the warp drive presented in science fiction films compared to what scientists from NASA are working on.