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Space vehicle
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Space exploration and travel has been advancing dramatically ever since the race between the U.S. and Soviets to get the first man on the moon. Granted, it has seen less time in the public spotlight since (from what I can tell) the media apparently got bored with space after so many trips into it, but it has been advancing nonetheless. Today we have space "probes" (for lack of a better term) -- unmanned spacecraft -- exploring our solar system, taking pictures, and relaying them back to earth. This article will discuss the possibilities of manned (and more advanced unmanned) space travel.
One idea would be to use a "warp drive." A warp drive (which does not exist today) would theoretically use unconventional methods of transportation. It would not use a mass ejected the opposite direction of the intended direction (that's essentially what rockets are), but rather use the properties of time and space to create propulsion. It sounds unlikely (at least to me), but NASA is looking into it. The following ideas were taken DIRECTLY FROM NASA'S SITE (i.e., I did not write this! Go here for the original article).
Hypothetical Differential Sail: Analogous to the principles of an ideal radiometer vane, a net difference in radiation pressure exists across the reflecting and absorbing sides. It is assumed that space contains a background of some form of isotropic medium (like the vacuum fluctuations or Cosmic Background Radiation) that is constantly impinging on all sides of the sail.
Hypothetical Diode Sail: Analogous to a diode or one-way mirror, space radiation passes through one direction and reflects from the other creating a net difference in radiation pressure.
Hypothetical Induction Sail: Analogous to creating a pressure gradient in a fluid, the energy density of the impinging space radiation is raised behind the sail and lowered in front to create a net difference in radiation pressure across the sail.
Hypothetical Diametric Drive: This article considers the possibility of creating a local gradient in a background scalar property of space (such as gravitational potential) by the juxtaposition of diametrically opposed field sources across the vehicle. This is directly analogous to negative mass propulsion. The diametric drive can also be considered analogous to creating a pressure source/sink in a space medium as suggested with the Induction Sail.
Hypothetical Pitch Drive: This article entertains the possibility that somehow a localized slope in scalar potential is induced across the vehicle which causes forces on the vehicle. In contrast to the diametric drive presented earlier, it is assumed that such a slope can be created without the presence of a pair of point sources. It is not yet known if and how such an effect can be created.
Hypothetical Bias Drive: This article entertains the possibility that the vehicle alters the properties of space itself, such as the gravitational constant, G, to create a local propulsive gradient. By modifying Newton’s constant to have a localized asymmetric bias, a local gradient similar to the Pitch Drive mechanism results.
Hypothetical Disjunction Drive: This article entertains the possibility that the source of a field and that which reacts to a field can be separated. By displacing them in space, the reactant is shifted to a point where the field has a slope, thus producing reaction forces between the source and the reactant. Although existing evidence strongly suggests that the source, reactant, and inertial mass properties are inseparable, any future evidence to the contrary would have revolutionary implication to this propulsion application.
I'm not going to pretend to understand all that, but I think it's interesting. I know some people might consider this a pseudo-science, but I don't want to rule out anything I know nothing about. In any case, another method would be to use ion propulsion. Ion propulsion has already been tested, and while it is simply not practical for anything like getting out of orbit, it provides a very weak, very steady thrust ideal for deep-space travel. It can last for a VERY long time, therefore requiring less fuel to transport with the vehicle.