-PJ
Posted on 07/28/2015 11:20:36 AM PDT by Mellonkronos
[Now this would be really cool! Hope it pans out!]
'Impossible' rocket drive works and could get to Moon in four hours
The British designed EM Drive actually works and would dramatically speed up space travel, scientists have confirmed
By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor 6:04PM BST 28 Jul 2015
Interplanetary travel could be a step closer after scientists confirmed that an electromagnetic propulsion drive, which is fast enough to get to the Moon in four hours, actually works.
The EM Drive was developed by the British inventor Roger Shawyer nearly 15 years ago but was ridiculed at the time as being scientifically impossible.
It 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.
The drive, which has been likened to Star Trek’s Impulse Drive, has left scientists scratching their heads because it defies one of the fundamental concepts of physics – the conservation of momentum – which states that if something is propelled forward, something must be pushed in the opposite direction.
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 a standard 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.
"Our test campaign cannot confirm or refute the claims of the EM Drive but intends to independently…
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I find this a little hard to believe.
But then, I ain’t no Rocket Surgeon, so I guess it could be.
Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum, also known as aluminum oxide (Al2O3).
http://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-Sapphire-Series-Introduction-to-Sapphire-and-Synthetic-Sapphire
Inertia dampening field like in Star Trek.
Plays heck on the crew if it fails though.
WHat about the one where you set off nuclear explosions in your wake that propel you along?
Project Orion
“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.” - Robert A. Heinlein .................
Is this a spindizzy? I’m not going with Scranton PA.
-PJ
#7 The Ferengi will sell them to us.
well when its going THAT fast... just put up a sail. More wind than you can ever want!!! I’m getting this thing now. It might just work.
It would use constant acceleration to the halfway point then flip 180 degrees and use the same constant acceleration to slow down. Stop on a dime in moon or Pluto orbit orbit.
Cheaper than the tanker fleets of brewing tea to test it.
Solar power? Not going to be of much use for interstellar travel, then. Good for puttering around the inner reaches of this solar system.
If this thing really “works” it needs to be developed as an earthbound power source.
No, no!! For the Brownian motion needed by the improbability drive all you need is a cup of advanced tea substitute. You can get that from any Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser*..
Of course, if you do want real tea while you're out there, maybe those tankers of tea would come in handy..
*Available from your local Sirius Cybernetics Corporation dealer..
Read all those books.
Pretty neat way to travel the galaxy....take the
city with you.
Damn it! LOL!
The microwave engine.
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