The Spore Drive Technology. What Do You Think About It?

[_Roger_]

..."quantum foam" in which virtual matter / anti-matter pairs are constantly emerging...

Clarification: I should have said "particle pairs" instead of just "pairs". One of the particle pairs is matter, and the other is anti-matter. And these virtual particle pairs are continually emerging from the vacuum, and then recombining and disappearing back into the vacuum. This is related to the concept of "quantum foam". For more info, see: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_foam

So the empty vacuum of space, and indeed the space between our atoms, the space interpenetrating everything, has a subtle infinitely energetic existence, and is not just a nothingness. In fact, in this universe, there is nowhere that is a nothingness, even in the purest vacuum.

Exotic alternative energy researchers are trying to harness this so-called zero point energy, which can actually be demonstrated to exist in the lab as the Casimir Effect. See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_effect

Some say zero point energy has already been tapped as an energy source, but is suppressed technology because of the effect it would have on the global energy economy, and greed, of the current stakeholders. If so, that ignores the vast abundance that would result, not to mention the resolution of a wide variety if environmental issue.

The actualization of zero point energy utilization appears frequently in science fiction, like Stargate's ZPM (Zero Point Module), a technology of the Ancients. It also appears in the third "Atlas Shrugged" film, based on Ayn Rand's novel of the same name.

Finally, I'll note that for a lot us viewing TOS way back then, Star Trek was our first exposure to the idea of antimatter - I know it was for me. I learned a lot of science from Star Trek, and speculative future science - inspiration on which to dream and build the future. Thank you Gene Roddenberry!

 

[_Roger_]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful post, and your correction/augmentation to my post. Just before seeing your post, I corrected/expanded my post (as a quoted reply to my own post), partly, but not fully, addressing your points.

I'm guessing that the writers are more up to speed on this physics than they have airtime to fully explain, but at least they are making attempts to get out bits and pieces of it over time, and then we have venues like this one to take it further.

Also, even the partial exposition of this knowledge in the shows, initiates public curiosity and discussion, and that's a good thing.

 

[Longinus]

and it's intelligent people like you and myself

And no one can NOT convince me that Mankind once had a very highly technical and super advanced civilization that was in collective community pockets around the earth, and they blew themselves up in ancient nuclear wars.. even the Apocalypse of James revelation in the Bible says the same, we have amnesia as a species, and the Vedic Texts definitely convince me of that. Scientists actually try to get gullable people to believe we were hunters and gatherers just as smart as we are today, but did that for over 200,000 years?? seriously? Only in the last 6,000 years did we invent things, and become smarter??

I hope your tinfoil hat is comfortable.

 

[_Roger_]

I hope your tinfoil hat is comfortable.

I refer you to the book "Hidden Archaeology" which details numerous finds which do not fit into the standard model of human development, including such items as gold chains unearthed in million year old graphite veins deep within the earth. One need not wear a tinfoil hat to observe a multitude of anomolous evidence showing ancient advanced human activity on the earth

 

[Jax]

advanced human activity on the earth

Someone took BSG's finale or the whole Stargate "Ancients" story a little much to heart.

Some of these new posters are a hoot.

 

[Longinus]

I refer you to the book "Hidden Archaeology" which details numerous finds which do not fit into the standard model of human development, including such items as gold chains unearthed in million year old graphite veins deep within the earth. One need not wear a tinfoil hat to observe a multitude of anomolous evidence showing ancient advanced human activity on the earth

Were the aliens involved too?

 

[_Roger_]

Were the aliens involved too?

I have not advanced that theory in my post. I only note the existence of anomolous artifacts.

However, given our reaching out for the stars, now sending space probes billions of miles into space after achieving heavier than air flight a little more than a hundred years ago, who knows what we will be capable of in a thousand years, or a million. Our deepest understanding of gravity, spacetime, and quantum physics, is at it's infancy. If intelligent life evolved elsewhere, and if they have developed for a longer period of time, it is not unreaonable to speculate on whether they may have exobiologist scientists who would be interested in life on other worlds, and have the capability to make such journeys. As humans, with our insatiable curiosity, we travel as far as we possibly can with existing technology to explore, regardless of cost or difficulty. Other races on other worlds, should they exist, might have similar impulses.

 

[GilmourD]

I have not advanced that theory in my post. I only note the existence of anomolous artifacts.

However, given our reaching out for the stars, now sending space probes billions of miles into space after achieving heavier than air flight a little more than a hundred years ago, who knows what we will be capable of in a thousand years, or a million. Our deepest understanding of gravity, spacetime, and quantum physics, is at it's infancy. If intelligent life evolved elsewhere, and if they have developed for a longer period of time, it is not unreaonable to speculate on whether they may have exobiologist scientists who would be interested in life on other worlds, and have the capability to make such journeys. As humans, with our insatiable curiosity, we travel as far as we possibly can with existing technology to explore, regardless of cost or difficulty. Other races on other worlds, should they exist, might have similar impulses.

Having almost married an artist and taken a lot of art classes with her in college...

I think the fact that there are so many pieces of ancient art that involve dildos may be the reason we took so long to advance. We were too busy with other things to advance ourselves.

 

[Foolish]

A friend of mine studies 4th year astrophysics at university. When the episode came on I texted to her about astrobicology. (I think that's the word they used.) She replied that she was already thinking of majoring in astrobiology. I didn't even know that was a thing!

 

[Ronald Held]

This is just more fantasy then solid physics.
Keeping with this technobabble, the spore network covers the multiverse, including the Mirror Universe?

 

[starsuperion]

Clarification: I should have said "particle pairs" instead of just "pairs". One of the particle pairs is matter, and the other is anti-matter. And these virtual particle pairs are continually emerging from the vacuum, and then recombining and disappearing back into the vacuum. This is related to the concept of "quantum foam". For more info, see: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_foam

So the empty vacuum of space, and indeed the space between our atoms, the space interpenetrating everything, has a subtle infinitely energetic existence, and is not just a nothingness. In fact, in this universe, there is nowhere that is a nothingness, even in the purest vacuum.

Exotic alternative energy researchers are trying to harness this so-called zero point energy, which can actually be demonstrated to exist in the lab as the Casimir Effect. See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_effect

Some say zero point energy has already been tapped as an energy source, but is suppressed technology because of the effect it would have on the global energy economy, and greed, of the current stakeholders. If so, that ignores the vast abundance that would result, not to mention the resolution of a wide variety if environmental issue.

The actualization of zero point energy utilization appears frequently in science fiction, like Stargate's ZPM (Zero Point Module), a technology of the Ancients. It also appears in the third "Atlas Shrugged" film, based on Ayn Rand's novel of the same name.

Finally, I'll note that for a lot us viewing TOS way back then, Star Trek was our first exposure to the idea of antimatter - I know it was for me. I learned a lot of science from Star Trek, and speculative future science - inspiration on which to dream and build the future. Thank you Gene Roddenberry!

They have accessed Zero Point energy in the past quite by accident actually, it is in the data on the First Atomic Bomb tests, where the yields were much higher then they could possibly calculate, the final data and science surrounding the Nuclear tests points to access to Zero Point, and Torison physics which yielded larger then normal Nuclear explosion reactions.

 

[Mechanoid1]

A friend of mine studies 4th year astrophysics at university. When the episode came on I texted to her about astrobicology. (I think that's the word they used.) She replied that she was already thinking of majoring in astrobiology. I didn't even know that was a thing!

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe: extraterrestrial life and life on Earth.
Astrophysics is a branch of space science that applies the laws of physics and chemistry to explain the birth, life and death of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae and other objects in the universe. It has two sibling sciences, astronomy and cosmology, and the lines between them blur.
Sounds like your friend wants to spend dad's money and not get a job.

 

[Ronald Held]

The Casimir effect can change the local Zero point energy.

 

[Foolish]

Sounds like your friend wants to spend dad's money and not get a job

Yes, possibly. But then when the USS Discovery finally takes off, she'll have a job and we won't.

Even though she is not a Trekker, in fact she is more of a Trekker than any of us here. Isn't she.

 

[Sadronaraw]

I had too much time on my hand so....

What follows is Top Secret and for Starfleet Admiralty eyes only.

Prototaxites stellaviatori
Trans-planar, interstellar organism with some characteristics similar to Terran life forms of the Fungi Kingdom.

Habitat
Thought to occupy the entire Universe. Transcendent to normal space, with aspects of the species existing in the subspace continuum domain termed the Mycelial Network. Arguably this domain appears to have evolved as consequence of the evolution of Prototaxites stellaviatori because in essence it is a component of the species, in some cases being described as “the roots”.

Use of in Displacement-Activated Spore Hub Drive (Spore Drive)
The species produces what may be life propagating units known as Mycelium Spores which can be utilised to access the Mycelial Network for near instantaneous travel across potentially unlimited distances.

Fundamental Mechanism of Spore Drive Travel for the Layman
As aforementioned, Mycelium Spores are used to access the Mycelial Network for near instantaneous travel between two points.

The key factors of which rudimentary knowledge will be required are as follows:
1) The emergent unifying Stamets-Straal theory uniting Physics and Biology at the quantum level
2) Inertial dampeners
3) Classical Quantum entanglement
4) Quantum energy potential differences between subspace domains

Mycelium Spores exhibit both macro biological and subatomic quantum properties, together these allow the energy barrier between Normal Space and the Mycelial Plane to be reduced; thus allowing them to disperse as widely as possible across both domains. The Stamets-Straal equations are an eloquent solution on how the Mycelial Spores achieve this and allow for a technological intervention for purposes of Faster Than Light travel (FTL).

The Mycelial Spores therefore allow for a solution to overcoming the energy barrier between entering and exiting the two domains. However once the Normal Space plot to the destination is carried out it is also necessary to ensure that the travelling object aligns to the correct Mycelial Plane path (otherwise the object's return to normal space could be disastrous). In the case of a starship this is achieved by having numerous sensors embedded across the skin of the ship, spinning the whole ship along it’s longest axis and having the sensors monitor Mycelial Spores exiting and returning to Normal Space by means of classical quantum entangled information between two points. The fast rotation allowing for a tremendous increase in the spores monitored. Inertial dampeners are employed to protect the crew from forces generated in spinning the ship at a high speed. Once a statistical threshold of Spores is identified to be exiting the correct destination point in normal space the Spore Drive is engaged along said path.

Due to the extremely complex and high number of pathways required to be monitored for successful navigation only relatively short jumps are possible by means of conventional computing power. However using a sentient being with a genetic affinity to the ecological environment of Prototaxites stellaviatori as a “navigator” allows for a practical deployment of the Spore Drive. The process is painful for the navigator therefore a willing participant is ideal.

Due to this being an emergent technology, there may be unforeseen drawbacks.

 

[fireproof78]

This is just more fantasy then solid physics.
Keeping with this technobabble, the spore network covers the multiverse, including the Mirror Universe?

Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie: "They traveled the multiverse, and brought something back with them..."

They have accessed Zero Point energy in the past quite by accident actually, it is in the data on the First Atomic Bomb tests, where the yields were much higher then they could possibly calculate, the final data and science surrounding the Nuclear tests points to access to Zero Point, and Torison physics which yielded larger then normal Nuclear explosion reactions.

The Casimir effect can change the local Zero point energy.

And now I have to look these things up.

 

[Mechanoid1]

Use of the infinite improbability drive/ spore drive, solves the extinction issue we were having with space whales. For some unknown reason space whale sightings are on the rise since infinite spore drive has been implemented throughout Starfleet.
On a side note, pots of petunias are soon to be on sale.

 

[Noname Given]

It's having the major plot of the season turn on a piece of arbitrary technobabble.

Oh, like say, "The Genesis Device" of STII:TWoK and STIII:TSFS. Got it.

 

[fireproof78]

Oh, like say, "The Genesis Device" of STII:TWoK and STIII:TSFS. Got it.

Or the solution for a Galaxy class starship to defeat a Bird of Prey

 

[Nerys Myk]

I like the Kashmir effect

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