[copycat]

Sounds neat.. Plasma propulsion. I imagine the plasma is spun inside a coil of some sort which turns the work into electrical energy.

I'm wondering about magnetic drives...ever hear of that being developed.

What if you could figure out a way to generate a strong magnetic field outside the vehicle such that a positive and negative "pole" could be ceated that would attract AND repel the vehicle based on the pole alignment?

Similar to the magnetic drive systems they use to power the super-colliders.

[Frank_Discussion]

I imagine the plasma is spun inside a coil of some sort which turns the work into electrical energy.

Actually, one creates the plasma, then basically microwave it to add the energy, then shoot it out the back. Essentially the same as all other rocket propulsion, except your thrust is only limited to the power of your microwave, not to the chemical reactivity of your fuel, which is self-limiting. In terms of magnetic drives, plasma rockets do use such technology to encase the plasma in a magnetic field.