Take one part high-frequency gravitational wave generation, then add in a quantum vacuum field. Now whip wildly via a gravitomagnetic force in a rotating superconductor while standing by for Alcubierre warp drive in higher dimensional space-time.So you're looking for the latest in faster-than-light interstellar travel via traversable wormholes? That's one theme among many discussed at Space Technology & Applications International Forum (STAIF), a meeting held here Feb. 12-16 that brought together more than 600 experts to thrash out a range of space exploration issues.Along with the run-of-the-mill space debates of the day, STAIF has also become a respected venue for researchers that dabble in the exotic, the thought-provoking novel, or the downright weird anomaly. "We're hoping that nature has left a door open," said John Brandenburg of the Florida Space Institute in Orlando, Florida. "If we just find the right door ... we're trying every door knob. One of these days we'll find an open door."Brandenburg gave a status report on his research into Gravity-Electro-Magnetism (GEM) unification theory. His motivation to poke around in this kind of arena is driven in part by maybe snagging a Nobel Prize, he said, but added: "We not only want to see this stuff…we want to ride in it."For the most part, the search for breakthroughs in space power and propulsion is akin to walking along the beach, hoping to find that doubloon—a gold coin—gleaming in the Sun, Brandenburg told SPACE.com. "By the way," he said, "I live in Florida ... and that happens occasionally. So we're trying to get lucky."
View: Full Article | Source: Space.com