From handwavium to unobtainium

Some scientists that really need to skip their next Trekkie convention have produced a paper outlining that warp drive is possible. They claim that by shrinking the 11th dimension ahead of a spaceship and expanding it behind the craft, they can move spacetime past a 'stationary' spacecraft.

These calculations are based on some arbitrary advance in technology or some alien technology that would let us manipulate the extra dimension," said Cleaver.

What the scientists were able to estimate was the amount of energy necessary, if the technology was available, to change these dimensions: about 10^45 joules.

That's about the amount of energy you'd get if you converted the entire mass of Jupiter into pure energy.

handwavium, unobtainium