NASA takes inspiration from Star Trek Enterprise to create prototype ship

Even if you're not a big fan of Star Trek, you've probably heard of the famous Enterprise spacecraft that appears in the series. In addition to being futuristic and super-stylish - and of course fictional - the ship was developed by humanity for the exploration of the universe and was capable of reaching the space warp, ie a propulsion speed greater than the speed of light.

For while NASA has not yet developed the technology needed to recreate the real-world space warp, the US agency has taken inspiration from the Star Trek spacecraft to create the IXS Enterprise, a prototype that blends visual features of real-world craft. of fiction.

But the thing is not only in visual not. According to The Verge, NASA scientists are working on developing thrusters that allow faster cosmos travel since 2010 and are racking their brains about IXS Enterprise's operation .

Fiction and science

To create the prototype, NASA relied on Alcubierre's Propulsion - which is nothing more than the conceptual name of the space warp - a theoretical model that could allow the spacecraft to move dramatically faster. Theoretically, Alcubierre Propulsion is supported by the distortion of spacetime, more specifically, the contraction of spacetime in front of the spacecraft and its expansion at the rear.

Thus, NASA scientists estimate that the approximately 4.3 light-year trip to Alpha Ceuntauri, for example, could be completed in about two weeks. Going back to the IXS Enterprise design, while the fiction ship looks more “sprawled” (see image below), the NASA model is encircled by two rings that would be responsible for producing the Alcubierre Propulsion.

The IXS Enterprise also has rounder shapes than the Star Trek spacecraft, and has four cylindrical receptacles on the sides and a command module that resembles a duckbill. At the moment, like the series spacecraft, NASA's creation exists only in fiction, and until the US agency announces that it has finally developed the technology needed for space warp, check out more images from the following prototype: