EM Drive

[Foliage]

Seen a lot about this lately, especially the fact they don't actually understand fully how it works.


http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/04/evaluating-...


Visit the moon in 4 hours.

Whats everyone thoughts?

[Hooli]

I have no idea what most of that means but isn't the bit about compressing & expanding space a warp drive?

[otolith]

I think great care was taken to avoid using the W word

[Einion Yrth]

Related thread

[Caruso]

If they've actually found a way of propelling craft in a vacuum without propellant then that really is a game changer for space travel.

[Moonhawk]

Read about this years ago (I think New Scientist ran an article on it about 10 years ago).

At that time it was thought this was just another in a long line of "perpetual motion" or "free energy" type devices that upon closer scrutiny - don't live up to expectations.

If this really does work - it could be a game changer and could also open up a whole new world of physics.

[Foliage]

Moonhawk said:

Read about this years ago (I think New Scientist ran an article on it about 10 years ago).

At that time it was thought this was just another in a long line of "perpetual motion" or "free energy" type devices that upon closer scrutiny - don't live up to expectations.

If this really does work - it could be a game changer and could also open up a whole new world of physics.

I think this is something different though, its electric, its not free energy you put electricity in and get propulsion out, it can be powered with solar panels.

We already have engines that work similar to this (used by probes) but they need a fuel, this is the next step in having an engine that only need electricity which is in abundance due to solar panels

This is an interesting development.

I did look for an existing thread, I seemed to have missed it.

[Eric Mc]

Of course, solar panels only work well when there is plenty of sunlight. Beyond Jupiter they are not very effective.

[otolith]

The suggestion is that nuclear power could be used for space exploration.

If you could achieve sufficient velocity on solar energy before you ran out of sunlight, it wouldn't matter, though you would have a similar problem at the other end if you wanted to slow down again.

[Moonhawk]

Foliage said:

I think this is something different though....

I know - hence the reason I said "type". I was simply using those examples of bunkum devices based on "unknown physics" or pseudo science.

Claims of a working reactionless drive have never been verified before. This would be the first if the results can be verified and repeated.

Quite what is going on is anyones guess as reactionless drives break the law of conservation of momentum.

[Moonhawk]

Eric Mc said:

Of course, solar panels only work well when there is plenty of sunlight. Beyond Jupiter they are not very effective.

All you need is a source of electricity though - a nuclear reactor would be ideal for picking up any shortfall in solar energy.

[Timmy40]

Eric Mc said:

Of course, solar panels only work well when there is plenty of sunlight. Beyond Jupiter they are not very effective.

So use nuclear, if nuclear submarines can be fuelled for years on end with small nuclear reactors I don't see why a space craft can't be.

I think the issues remain lack of gravity and it's effect on humans and shielding from stellar radiation.

[Foliage]

Lockheed do have a working small fusion reactor, currently being tested etc etc.

[Moonhawk]

Timmy40 said:

I think the issues remain lack of gravity and it's effect on humans and shielding from stellar radiation.

True - but if this drive shortens the travel time to the Moon or Mars - you also lessen the risks from these things.

[Timmy40]

Moonhawk said:

Timmy40 said:

I think the issues remain lack of gravity and it's effect on humans and shielding from stellar radiation.

True - but if this drive shortens the travel time to the Moon or Mars - you also lessen the risks from these things.

Yes. True.

I've been reading about the proposed 'sky' bases on Venus, in principle it does make more sense to me than going for Mars. That would be an even shorter trip.

Also reading about the ideas of settling the moons huge lava tubes.....thing with that is you still have the problem of no/low gravity to overcome.

I reckon Ian M Banks had it right, in the distant future our obsession with being on a planet will fade and it will be natural/normal to live permanently in space.

[Halb]

Foliage said:

Seen a lot about this lately, especially the fact they don't actually understand fully how it works.


http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/04/evaluating-...


Visit the moon in 4 hours.

Whats everyone thoughts?

http://io9.com/new-test-suggests-nasas-impossible-em-drive-will-work-1701188933

I saw this today too.
Reminds me of the stuff in the NAZI science books.

[Vincefox]

Yeah, but who's gonna fly it, kid? You?

[Halb]

You bet I could. I'm not such a bad pilot myself!

[Vincefox]

Halb said:

You bet I could. I'm not such a bad pilot myself!

[Simpo Two]

Foliage said:

Visit the moon in 4 hours.

Whats everyone thoughts?

No atmosphere!