Could we build a real-life Millennium Falcon with so many cutting-edge technologies? We are getting closer.
In the Star Wars universe, the Millennium Falcon is seen as the hottest ship. The Millennium Falcon, the cargo vessel that Han Solo won from Lando Calrissian in the Cloud City tournament, is at the center of some of the most incredible adventures in the series.
With the upcoming movie "Solo: A Star Wars Story" hitting theaters on May 25, let's explore some of the most notable technological features of the ship and what would have to happen before we could build it today.
Tour the Millennium Falcon with these photos.
The Millennium Falcon has a hyperdrive that pushes it to light speed, which is what Han Solo has claimed. The hyperdrive usesmatter particles to send the craft into hyperspace, an alternative dimensions reached by traveling at or beyond the speed of light. The technique uses pieces of fabric that fold over to connect two other points.
The theory of general relativity predicts wormholes, but they are still a theoretical phenomenon. We can't manipulate them for our own purposes because we can't prove their existence. Stephen Hsu, a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Oregon, told our sister site Live Science that it is not clear whether exotic matter exists in the universe.
The scientific community is excited about the EmDrive. Some have suggested that this is a warp drive. microwaves bounce around a chamber as a substitute for propellant. Researchers put the EmDrive to the test and found that the thrust it produced comes from some kind of interaction between the engine's power cables and the Earth's magnetic field.
g-forces are an issue even if we suspend our disbelief. Passengers on the Millennium Falcon could experience up to 12 g's if they travel at the speeds depicted in the films. This is similar to being in a field 12 times higher than what we experience on Earth.
We can push blood up to our brains at 1 g, but as the g increases, this becomes more difficult. The maximum that jet-fighter pilots can experience before passing out is twelve g, but this assumes they are wearing g-suits to prevent blood from being pushed down.
Without high-g suits, the human passengers on the Millennium Falcon would black out when the ship took high-g turns.
The Millennium Falcon had a table installed so passengers could play Dejarik, a classic strategy game in the Star Wars universe. While astronauts aboard the International Space Station won't be playing Chewie's favorite game anytime soon, hologram technology is inching its way into modern spaceships.
Two of Microsoft's augmented reality headsets traveled to the space station to help crew members. The early version of the Voxiebox has been built. Researchers have already gotten close to a feature that will allow you to feel the pieces with your hands.
In one example, teams from the University of Tokyo and the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan have created small, plasma holograms that you can feel with your hands.
Aboard most ships in the Star Wars universe and throughout sci-fi stories, shields are a staple security measure. The ship is kept intact despite enemy attacks. Is this a well-worn science fiction trope? Not quite.
A group of students from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom were profiled by ExtremeTech in the summer of 2014). The students took notice of the ionosphere, a part of the upper atmosphere.
We bounce communication signals from the ionosphere to different locations on Earth. This invisible shield around Earth was the inspiration for this team to suggest that you could use a laser or energy-based weapon to diffuse the radiation. The idea of using a shield made of plasma to shield against radiation is definitely within the realm of possibility.
In 2008, Ruth Bamford of the Science and Technology Facilities Council and her colleagues studied the possibility of using a portable magnetic shield. It is definitely a step in the right direction, even though it is not battle ready.
The main source of power in the Millennium Falcon, the Quadex power core, is pure fiction.
There are 40 surprising facts from a galaxy far, far away.
The Quadex power core is described as a power source for starships like the Millennium Falcon, but it's not clear what it is. The power core is impossible to build because the series never explains how it works.
The Millennium Falcon has some of the most powerful and used weapons. The closest thing we have to a Star Wars style laser cannon is being developed by the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It's powerful enough to shoot a 150 kilowatt energy beam, but can fit on a fighter jet.
Researchers have suggested that a coherent amplification network (CAN) laser, a beam created from multiple small lasers, could get rid of space debris surrounding Earth by vaporizing a thin layer of matter off of the surface of the space junk. This would cause the debris to burn up in the atmosphere.
Laser weapons are difficult to create, but they are possible.
The Millennium Falcon's technologies are not always up to date. The ship is an ever-evolving amalgamation of various parts. It makes sense that a highly capable future ship could be assembled this way.
The Millennium Falcon has a lot in common with the Dragon. The Millennium Falcon's design relies on the reuse of found parts.
It might not be possible to 3D print new items or make repairs with what is already available on a ship. Future space travelers might reuse found parts like Han Solo has done to survive in the universe.
There is a seemingly endless list of gadgets in the Millennium Falcon. The tech on this ship ranges from highly plausible to completely fictional.
Humans aren't quite ready to build a Millennium Falcon. Laser cannons and invisible shields could one day be onboard tech. Until then, we can always watch Han Solo and company on one of the most famous ships in science fiction.
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