Judah understands others will be reluctant to believe any of it. But he’s a believer.

“Science is out there in nature,” he says. “You just have to recognize the pattern and realize this is the way the world works.”

For Pares, the next big step comes next summer. In addition to refining his motor, he has been building a 7-by-7-foot spacecraft called the Blue Bird II. He admits it’s somewhat for show. The ship won’t even travel to the outer limits of his own driveway. But using the same principle as his cage experiment, he intends to lift the craft a few feet off the ground.

“That’s what people want to see,” he says. “They want to see ‘Star Trek.’ ”

The Blue Bird II itself stands on end behind him, the only way it will fit inside the cramped and cluttered garage. Pares holds a smaller model of the ship in his hands, demonstrating how the motor will draw the Blue Bird II into the air. The more he talks, the more the conversation advances into the future. An entirely new space economy. Interstellar explorations. Trips to the grocery store in a fraction of a second.