Space

‘Star Wars’ holds clues to making speedier spacecraft in the real world

Engineers are exploring propulsion methods that could enable longer-distance travel

A futuristic illustration of two figures, one seated at a screen and the other walking with a holographic device in its hand. Spacecraft fly by in the distance.

Perhaps someday spacecraft will be able to take humans beyond the solar system.

GLENN HARVEY

By Aaron Tremper

Pilots in Star Wars enter a dimension, hyperspace, to travel between distant worlds. To merge onto this cosmic highway, ships are equipped with special engines called hyperdrives. With the push of a lever, the spacecraft zooms faster than the speed of light, traversing between star systems in just hours or days. Han Solo and his sidekick Chewbacca make the jump to hyperspace look easy (at least when the Millennium Falcon is in working order).