Is a NASA team about to crack interstellar travel?

NASA has a well-deserved reputation for making the unthinkable a reality. So what are we to make of it when a handful of NASA scientists quietly leak the news that they've defied the laws of physics?

A recent post on NASASpaceFlight.com summarized a discussion that's been happening among physicists on the site's forums. While the site isn't affiliated with NASA, NASA scientists have been involved in the conversation.

The news from the forums is that a team working on the Eagleworks team at the Johnson Space Center has found new evidence for two incredible potential ways of traveling through space. Either one of them could let humans explore the rest of the galaxy, although both are at the absolute fringe of scientific thought.

One of the potential discoveries could be the first step in developing the type of Let's tackle the propulsion-less travel that could allow spacecraft to travel far longer than current methods would allow.

The other discovery is well-known, thanks to the "Star Trek" franchise introducing the world to the concept of warp drive. In 2011, the Eagleworks team larger, Dr. Harold "Sonny" White, made national news when he claimed warp drive might actually be feasible. Ever since, White has been working on a proof of concept, trying to create a tiny warp bubble at the Eagleworks lab. According to the forum post, he finally got a reading just a few weeks ago.

If you're skeptical, you're not alone. These two rumored findings sound too good to be true to many physicists. But if you're curious, be sure to watch the video above for a deeper explanation of how they might work.

Check out some of the stellar discoveries in our universe we've captured in photographs taken closer to home in the gallery below: