Warp drive pioneer Dr. Harold G “Sonny” White has released a new video animation about the future of advanced propulsion systems. Narrated by Dr. White himself, the founder of Eagle Works lab and NASA’s warp drive program, and produced by the Limitless Space Institute, the video highlights future propulsion concepts currently in the works, including nuclear propulsion and fusion drives. And by the video’s end, White arrives at the holy grail of space transportation: the warp drive.
The animation is spectacular and entertaining but also serves to highlight just how vast space is, and how far away even the nearest star system lies.
It opens with a quote from scientist and science fiction author Carl Sagan.
“The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars.”
This is immediately followed by the voice-over of White, who takes Saga’s words one step further.
“As incredible as it may seem, there may be a time, and it may be closer than you think, that we will live on other worlds; the moon, Mars and the space between,” says White. “And when that day comes, just as always, our children will look with curiosity at these new horizons with a desire to go further, and explore what lies beyond.”
The next four minutes feature animation that looks right out of Lucasfilm while providing the viewer an insider’s look at the types of propulsion systems currently under development.
“Go fast,” White explains in the first section on nuclear propulsion. “Go faster,” he says of the next set of even more speculative propulsion concepts like fusion propulsion.
And finally, as the video brings the viewer to a perfect animation of an actual Alcubierre/White warp drive as envisioned by Dr. White himself, he ends on the title of the video, “Go Incredibly Fast!”
The “Go Incredibly Fast” video is a perfect summary of where we are and where we may be going.
If you want to learn more about Dr. White and his work, read our story on his “accidental discovery” of a warp bubble. We also featured Dr. White in a one-on-one interview where he discusses his current work and the future of advanced space propulsion. You can also go to Limitless Space Institute’s website.
And finally, after May 13th, you can watch Sonny himself talk to The Debrief’s Chrissy Newton about his famed discovery of a “warp bubble” and where he sees this technology going in the future.
Now, go watch the video again, and remember Dr. White’s motto: “Crawl, Walk, Run!”
Follow and connect with author Christopher Plain on Twitter: @plain_fiction