There was never really a scientific explanation for how the "cloaking device" in Star Trek works; all we knew is that the Federation was banned by treaty from developing it. Well, two Earth citizens have already started to defy that treaty.

Nicolae Nicorovici of the University of Sydney and Graeme Milton of the University of Utah have published a paper in a U.K. scientific journal that specifically theorizes a way to achieve "cloaking effects." Simply put, they propose that placing objects close to a "superlens" can render them invisible.

The theory is based on the concept of "anomalous localized resonance," which is analogous to a tuning fork near a wine glass making it vibrate at the same frequency. The cloaking effect would exploit a similar resonance with light waves. A "superlens" is an optical device made of exotic materials to provide magnification on nano-levels, and apparently — according to Nicorovici and Milton's math — a small object in close proximity to such a device, under certain conditions, can induce a resonance in the superlens material that cancels out the light bouncing off the object. Thus, the object is made invisible.

Right now the theoretical cloaking effect only works at certain frequencies of light, and the scientists are only talking in terms of objects the size of dust specks. But it's a start. If their theory holds up, one can imagine new materials in the future which can be manipulated at will to resonate light in certain ways so as to make large objects — a spaceship, for instance — fade from view, in both the visible and electromagnetic spectrums. For more on this story, see this BBC News article.

Antimatter-powered Spaceship Closer to Reality

A research firm in New Mexico has delivered to NASA its initial studies on the feasibility of a spacecraft that would be propelled by antimatter, that extremely volatile substance that is a mainstay of Trek technology.

Positronics Research, LLC, has proposed a positron-fueled rocket that could presumably take astronauts to Mars in 90 days or less. The firm's physicists and engineers base their design on the premise that certain antimatter particles — namely positrons (anti-electrons) — can be held in a stable state with the right combination of electric and magnetic fields, while those positrons are locked in orbits with normal electrons to form atoms called positronium.

"We've done the calculations," said Gerald Smith, head of Positronics. "And it's not uncommon to find that the lifetime [of enhanced positronium] is [practically] infinite."

The containment problem is one issue; how to turn matter-antimatter annihilation into effective propulsion is another. In Positronics' proposed rocket design, positronium would be shuttled from the fuel tank to the engine core, where it annihilates, and that would produce gamma rays that evaporate silicon carbide from the nearby surface. The resulting silicon carbide gas then becomes the exhaust that propels the spacecraft forward.

Only 10 milligrams of positronium — the mass of a grain of rice — would be enough to take a manned ship to Mars. Producing even that much antimatter is another huge hurdle, but Smith believes it can be done at a cost of $250 million using technology that is currently under development.

For more on this story, see this NationalGeographic.com story.

Planetary Society Starts Petition to "Save Our Science"

At the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) earlier this month, the Planetary Society — a space advocacy group that boasts several Star Trek luminaries among its key members — announced a petition to urge the U.S. Congress not to slash funding to scientific programs such as a Mars Sample Return mission, the Terrestrial Planet Finder, a mission to Europa, and other efforts to seek out life beyond Earth.

"In spite of its great promises of a 'Vision for Space Exploration,' the U.S. administration has submitted a shameful 5-year budget that will devastate NASA's science efforts," says the Planetary Society Web site. "These catastrophic cuts will rob the entire world of unique chances to explore our solar system."

To read more and to sign the petition — called "SOS: Save Our Science!" — visit www.planetary.org.

NASA Official Quotes Q

As previously reported, at the ISDC gathering of scientists, engineers, space professionals and aficionados, Star Trek was often used by speakers as a reference point for what the space community wishes to achieve. In one of the more unconventional references to Trek, NASA Ames Research Center Director Simon P. Worden, during a luncheon keynote speech, used a quote from "Q" in "Déjà Q" to propose a way to utilize the resources of the Moon to address global warming on Earth.

"A few years ago there was an episode of Star Trek — I'm sure no one here ever watched that!" he interjected tongue-in-cheek. "But the episode featured a super-powerful creature named 'Q.' He was on the Starship Enterprise when a giant stellar fragment — whatever that is — was about to destroy the ship. Captain Picard ... asked him what he was going to do. Q said, 'Simple, just change the gravitational constant.'" (Not an entirely accurate recounting of the episode, but the point was made and it drew a nice laugh.)

Worden applied this analogy to an idea he and a colleague have to compensate for greenhouse warming: "We simply change the solar constant." He suggests that a giant shield could be placed in space to block a certain amount of the Sun's heat. And such an object could be built relatively cheaply on the Moon, and launched from there easily, once we have established a permanent presence on that world.

The full text of Worden's speech can be found at this SpaceRef.com link.

For further commentary from the ISDC on how space exploration can and will benefit mankind, see this Space.com report from the conference. Besides helping to solve problems on Earth, "space continues to represent to many Americans 'the final frontier,'" said one speaker.