I believe so, or else there might be a few problems with episodes like "Remember Me".
------------------ Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")
Posted by Black Knight (Member # 134) on :
Well the 'think tank' hides in subspace, so I guess it is possible. And they use subspace driver coils on impulse engines. So i guess so
------------------ "If you're at a a concert and somebody steps on your foot, let it slide. Its not worth getting 20 years because somebody smuged your puma."-Chris Rock
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
It isn't very efficient, though.
------------------ "Something I can't comprehend. Something so complex and couched in its equation. So dense that light cannot escape from." -- Soul Coughing
The warp coils reate the field that 'lessens' the mass of the ship in realspace, but not physically... I can't think of how to explain this better...
Well, the impulse engines push the ship once the fields are up, which would be anytime the ship is in motion. The stronger the field, the less apparent mass in realspace, the better the push of hte impulse engines on the 'lighter' ship.
That's how I see warp drive as, the same as impulse except with superstrong fields that make the mass super low, allowing the impulse engines to flings the ship foreward.
------------------ "What is he doing?" "Stop it! No heaving, thrusting, or splaying!"
-MST3K
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
It just isn't. IIRC, it takes more energy to hold a stable warp field below the lightspeed threshold than it does to just propel the whole thing faster than light. So why waste the energy when your traditional newtonian impulse engines work just fine?
------------------ "Something I can't comprehend. Something so complex and couched in its equation. So dense that light cannot escape from." -- Soul Coughing
Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :
The TNGTM says something about using the warp nacelles to create a subspace field (< 1 cochrane) to alleviate impulse propulsion, but it turns out to be little efficient. This is why the impulse engines have their own subspace coils.
------------------ "The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank!" (Scotty, TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon") Ex Astris Scientia
Posted by grb on :
Physicists have actually figured out a warp drive. A ship would create a bubble around itself of gravitational fields. It would at the same time make gravity fields that would pull the space in front of it to the ship, and push space behind it away. The problem with this is that you would need to create HUGE amounts of energy (a matter-antimatter system might work....). But anyway, there wouldn't be any need for impulse inside the bubble. To travel at faster speeds, u'd pull and push on space harder. to travel slower, u'd pull on space less. So actually, yes, u could use this type of warp drive for sublight speeds. Heck, u could use it to travel 10 miles per hour. It would just be alot more enrgy expensive than using a good old impulse drive.
------------------ "Can I have a hug?" -Dr. Evil
Posted by Montgomery (Member # 23) on :
The most important reason for use of warp field of less than 1000 millicochranes (i.e. less than warp 1) is relativistic effects.
With ordinary impulse engines you could accelerate to up to maybe 0.4c, but you'd get time dilation become very noticable. A subspace field not only lowers "inertial mass" and makes you lighter, it effectively removes you from the effects of accelerating towards the speed of light, and the resulting slowing of your personal speed of time.
If you're in a hurry at sublight, best to use a subspace field or risk arriving a few hundred years too late! The energy required is doubtless why they're usually content to plod along at 0.25c.
------------------ Oh Mr Rasberry, so sharp your juices!
[This message has been edited by Montgomery (edited September 09, 1999).]
