Posted on 05/06/2015 8:58:16 AM PDT by WhiskeyX
You appear to be using a strawman argument, because no one has made any claims that an Em drive was “proven” to be an FTL drive or even any proven propulsion system at all. They are only claiming the Em drive appears to be producing some revolutionary results which still need further independent experimentation and peer reviews [note the plural] to confirm what they think the early experiments have shown. If the experimentation should confirm what they think they are seeing, such experimental results would open the door to a whole new line of research into physics which may or may not imply the possibility of a future FTL propulsion system. Of course, if you insist upon killing the research into such experimental results just because it is currently not yet subject to peer review and not yet grounded in known physics, it will not be possible to engineer such an Em propulsion system even if it really can exist and even if there is a reasonable yet currently unknown set of physical laws to explain it.
Mankind learned how to use electricity through stubborn experimentation long before mankind developed physical laws to explain what electricity is and how it works. If experimentation with the Em drive can be demonstrated to produce actual results, it too may then eventually spawn the development of physical laws to explain how those results can and do exist. If we turned our back on the Em drive, it may be like what would have happened if we refused to investigate and use electricity.
I have been trading messages with Paul March for the last eight years or so on another website called "Talk Polywell" (about Dr. Bussard's design for a fusion reactor) and I have quite a lot of confidence in his knowledge and ability as well as his honesty.
If he says he's getting a displacement of his balance (i.e. a "thrust signature") then I believe him. I also believe he has done every plausible thing to insure that it is not an artifact of some other effect, such as thermal, ion win, magnetic or static attraction/repulsion, etc.
I also have some background of this particular gizmo because i've been keeping up with it ever since New Scientist first brought it to my attention.
I will point out that Roger Shawyer developed his theory of how this thing works, *AFTER* he noticed the problems he had keeping station on microwave transmitting satellites. In other words, trying to address a real world phenomena with satellites drifting out of position is how he came to realize something was going on. Whether his explanation, or anyone else's explanation is valid, is beside the point. The effect appears to be real, and I don't really care if they can explain it in theory or not.
As Reagan said of Economists:
An economist is someone who sees something that works in practice and wonders if it would work in theory. ~ Ronald Wilson Reagan
I'm thinking the EM Drive is an example of a similar thing with scientists.
Sounds like the successful tests are piling up.
HOWEVER even if it does truly work it will require massive amounts of energy to produce the thrust it needs for any kind of speed. Also the idea of faster than light travel is not going to be achieved by this due to the mass increase with speed issue. Its still very interesting.
I know there have also been some interesting experiments with the principle behind the Alcubierre drive which indicate that a mass on the scale of Jupiter may not be required to needed to warp space for travel.
Electromagnetism seems to be at the core of both.
It will be interesting when the Voyager probe is sitting in a museum here on Earth because we went out and scooped it up in less than 2 minutes of travel to get to it.
This is a joke.
Roswell.
“And a transporter.”
Quantum entanglement has already proven the physical ability to teleport or copy matter across two points in space while circumventing the limitation of the speed of light. Due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and the nature of quantum mechanics it is so far unknown whether or not a means can ever be found to build a Star Trek like transporter system.
“And antigravity.”
Counter-gravity devices like airplanes and rockets already exist, but anti-gravity is still a concept in the very early stages of research. However, given the existence of antimatter, antigravity may someday be a successful area of research.
“And turning lead in to gold.”
Turning Lead into Gold is entirely possible right now. Physicists have already turned Bismuth into Gold. Turing Mercury and Lead into Gold is the same procedure as turning Bismuth into Gold. However, at a cost of $5,000 per hour to use the cyclotron, it would cost upwards of one quadrillion dollars to produce one ounce of Gold from Lead.
‘Muslim outreach’ ... well, at faster than light, wouldn’t that ‘outreach’ put them outta sight real quickly?
Yeah.
I am aware of all you mention.
Doesn’t change the point of my comments, and others, that this was a sensationalist headline and article.
That’s all.
Agree. BS sensationalistic headline.
I just read on another thread that the Wisconsin Senate is attempting to raise the state speed limit from 65 to 70........I don't think they'll ever accept faster than light.
Our only actual hope is heaven, through Jesus.
Nobody is working on inertial dampeners either. Or gravitic flooring.
Of course it was a sensationalist headline. How many readers were going to be reading an article with a headline about an Em drive using a magnetron?
“Nobody is working on inertial dampeners either. Or gravitic flooring.”
How long before someone invents a Fravistat out of sheer perversity?
That’ll never deter a Democrat Wisconsin Senator from exceeding the speed limit for the speed of light when he or she feels like it.
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