[brownsfan]

Yes, yes, that’s all well and good, but how does this affect global warming, or muslims?

NASA has a mandate, and this tomfoolery just seems to get in the way.

[Gaffer]

Yes. We just need more funding. Lots and lots of it.

[tanknetter]

Wave Motion engine?

Cool. Now build the Yamato.

[lonevoice]

Cool!

[oh8eleven]

NASA =

[Ouchthatonehurt]

Dilithium crystals?
If not, I’m going back to sleep.

[itsahoot]

I read about ion engines in 1952, when I was in High School, we are leaping forward.

[R. Scott]

Will 0bama allow it?

[MNDude]

Bush Senior said we would have a man on Mars by 2019.

[dfwgator]

Infinite Improbability Drive

http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Infinite_Improbability_Drive

[OneWingedShark]

And thus the Impulse Engine was born.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual indicates that the impulse engines are nuclear fusion engines where the plasma from the fusion reactor powers a massive magnetic coil to propel the ship. It is a form of magnetohydrodynamic or magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. This is used in conjunction with the ship's warp drive's alteration of the ship's relativistic mass, to achieve mid-to-high sub-light speeds. Thrusters, on the other hand, are closer to the designs of a high-efficiency reactant propellant (i.e. a sophisticated rocket engine) and are usually used for high-precision maneuvers. Ion propulsion drives are explicitly detailed to be used in Star Trek by Dominion and Iconian Starships and facilities.

[driftdiver]

” they had achieved a small amount of thrust from a container that had no traditional fuels, only microwaves,”

It offers the side benefit of doing a fantastic job on popcorn for movie night.

[toast]

So with this they only need fuel for energy. They no longer need a propellant.

[Blood of Tyrants]

If one was designed to fail and instead worked, check your instrumentation.

[BitWielder1]

... built two Cannae Drives, including one that was designed to fail, and instead it worked.

I suspect a false positive here. Some measuring error.
I will hold off buying tickets to Mars until others can replicate this.
It did not stop them from some wild and amusing speculation on very flimsy basis though.

[mikrofon]

If the tests of the Cannae Drive technology hold up,
a trip to Mars could take weeks instead of months

"Ye can'nae brrreak the laws of Physics, lad !"

[gaijin]

I want it to work but I really, reallllllllllly have my doubts.

This sounds like the stem-cell cloning promises of that Korean doctor.

Watch —it will turn out to be vaporware.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

“There are many reasons to be skeptical: the inventor of the Cannae Drive, Guido Fetta, has only a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and is operating his company Cannae as a for-profit venture.”

Inventor has only a BS in an unrelated field, confirmed by Chinese and Argentine scientists and even the negative control worked when tested by the affirmative action hirees at NASA. Results dont get any more solid than that.

[aquila48]

“There are many reasons to be skeptical: the inventor of the Cannae Drive, Guido Fetta, has only a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and is operating his company Cannae as a for-profit venture.”

UH?? The inventor has a degree in chemical engineering and operates a for-profit company, therefore it’s bogus??

I’m not familiar with “the Verge” - is this run by some snotty socialist?

[bunkerhill7]

Every day my satellite dish moves to the other side of the house all by itself and I have to move it back every night.