Warp drive

The Warp drive is a ficticious system of spaceship propulsion which would act by "warping" or bending space itself, shortening the distance in front of the craft while lengthening the distance behind it.

Although one way of visualizing gravity is as a warping of spacetime, to date successful "warp drive" has only been achieved in the fictional Star Trek Universe. Transwarp drive was also envisioned using similar concepts.

The closest approach to real warp drive is currently only theory.

Warp Velocities

In the Star Trek universe of the 24th century, warp speeds were revised and changed to a new scale of warp 1 to warp 10.

Here is an approximate Warp to Light speed conversion:

• Warp 1 - 1 light speed - 300000 km per sec.
• Warp 2 - 10 light speeds - 3000000 km per sec.
• Warp 3 - 39 light speeds - 11700000 km per sec.
• Warp 4 - 102 light speeds - 30600000 km per sec.
• Warp 5 - 214 light speeds - 64200000 km per sec.
• Warp 6 - 392 light speeds - 117600000 km per sec.
• Warp 7 - 656 light speeds - 196800000 km per sec.
• Warp 8 - 1024 light speeds - 307200000 km per sec.
• Warp 9 - 1516 light speeds - 454800000 km per sec.
• Warp 9.2 – 1649 light speeds - 494700000 km per sec.
• Warp 9.6 – 1909 light speeds - 572700000 km per sec.
• Warp 9.9 – 3053 light speeds - 915900000 km per sec.
• Warp 9.99 – 7912 light speeds - 2373600000 km per sec.
• Warp 9.9999 – 199516 light speeds - 59854800000 km per sec.

Warp 10 is infinite times light speed and therefore, theoretically, is unobtainable as it would cause a ship to occupy all points in the universe simultaneously.

Warp 9.9999 requires near infinite power. This is the speed at which subspace communications travel.

See also: Alcubierre drive, Timeline of black hole physics, Timeline of gravitational physics and relativity, Transwarp