Dreams of the Impossible

I came across this image on the internet recently, coupled with an inspiring article about the future of space travel. 

The picture is a computer generated artists' rendition of a theoretical warp drive spacecraft named the IXS ENTERPRISE. IXS stands for Interstellar Experimental Ship. 

The ship design is a proof of concept model proposed by NASA engineer and physicist Dr. Harold White utilizing an Alcubierre Drive. Dr. White is a member of Eagleworks, NASA's advanced propulsion laboratory. The artist's name is Mark Rademaker, who is also an industrial designer and created the design for Dr. White to help promote his idea.

The Alcubierre Drive is a wholly speculative concept based on a solution of Einstein's field equations in general relativity, as first proposed in a 1994 publication by theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre, by which a spaceship could achieve faster-than-light travel without violating the laws of General Relativity.

The ship requires the two large rings which are needed to generate a space warp field surrounding the ship. 

Apparently, a ship like the IXS ENTERPRISE could make the 4.3 light year journey to Alpha Centauri (the closest star to our own) in under two weeks. 

If ever there is a stretch goal, this is one. 

Never mind that the concept of a warp drive ship and Dr. White's assertions may not hold a single ounce of credibility. To me this computer generated image is a potent symbol of a goal, and how the impossible can be made appealing. It is a simple image that evokes excitement and optimism. 

The image also illustrates the enormity of the project. Looking at the picture, one can perhaps grasp the sheer complexity and future innovation that remains to bring the image to life. 

Maybe it is because I love Star Trek and the connection is not lost on people like me, aside from the blatant origin of the ship's name. 

This NASA publicity campaign is an example of how a Vision, simply stated, can motivate a whole crowd of like-minded dreamers who understand the iconography. Dreamers like entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is currently working to bring the world of science fiction into reality. Mass-produced electric cars. A rocket that flies into space and then returns to earth on retractable landing gear. Trains that travel at the speed of sound.

The lesson I take from this is that if you want to bring along a crowd of dreamers, put forth a simple image that everyone can immediately understand. 

Someday we might make the impossible become a reality. 

© Edwin T. Ozawa 2017