http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11769030/Impossible-rocket-drive-works-and-could-get-to-Moon-in-four-hours.htmlIt produces thrust by using solar power to generate multiple microwaves that move back and forth in an enclosed chamber. This means that until something fails or wears down, theoretically the engine could keep running forever without the need for rocket fuel.
It seems to violate a law of physics, but...
However in recent years NASA has confirmed that they believe it works and this week Martin Tajmar, a professor and chair for Space Systems at Dresden University of Technology in Germany also showed that it produces thrust.
The drive is capable of producing thrust several thousand times greater than even a photon rocket and could get to Mars within 70 days or Pluto within 18 months. A trip to Alpha Centauri, which would take tens of thousands of years to reach right now, could be reached in just 100 years.
Shawyer also claims that he is just a few months away from publishing new results confirming that his drive works in a peer reviewed journal.
However scientists still have no idea how it actually works. Nasa suggested that it could have something to do with the technology manipulating subatomic particles which constantly pop in and out of existence in empty space.
I'll be looking forward to that publication.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/british-spaceship-engine-like-star-6155199Martin Tajmar, professor and chair for Space Systems at the Dresden University of Technology, presented his work at the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics' Propulsion and Energy Forum, saying: "Our test campaign cannot confirm or refute the claims of the EM Drive but intends to independently assess possible side-effects in the measurements methods used so far.
"Nevertheless, we do observe thrust close to the actual predictions after eliminating many possible error sources that should warrant further investigation into the phenomena.
According to the website Hacked: "White proposes that the EM Drive’s thrust is due to virtual particles in the quantum vacuum that behave like propellant ions in magneto-hydrodynamical propulsion systems, extracting "fuel" from the very fabric of space-time and eliminating the need to carry propellant."
The EM Drive has been compared to the Impulse Drive on board the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek, but continues to baffle experts as it goes against the principles of physics that state if something is moving forward there must be a force pushing in the other direction.
This could be a breakthrough in sublight technology, if it works, it doesn't even need to be slaved to solar power like all the examples thus far, all you apparently need is electricity.
Topic: Luna and back in 8 hours?! (Read 1737 times)