EM drive which could allow us to reach marks in 70 days.

[Alaskan]

Cool tech article:

The ?Impossible? EM Drive That Could Reach Mars In Just 70 Days Actually Works

 

[RedCowboy]

Did you know that NASA said it was impossible until the Chinese built one, then NASA built one that's not as strong but proves it works.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-02/06/emdrive-and-cold-fusion

 

[Mattronium]

According to this article: Here's why scientists haven't invented an impossible space engine ? despite what you may have read, it still might not be rigorously proven to actually work.

Could someone point out an article that actually talks about the science of it in depth. I'd be super awesome it it was true, I'd just like to see the proof.

Hopefully it's not just the media making a big story when it's not really there.

 

[Pi R Squared]

This has been discussed in three other threads, it's probably a good idea to have this one thread for this topic since something big may come of it. I read that it was first tested in the U.K. and then later in China, and NASA tested it in a vacuum. They all showed it has thrust, so there is something to it. The astronomer Richard C. Hoagland who has a nighttime radio show 2 hours M-F has done 2 shows with a guy here in the U.S. who built one at home. This guy replaced the copper chamber with just copper screen, and he used a tube from a microwave oven and it produces a tiny amount of thrust, he is trying to raise several thousand dollars for more thorough testing. Someone needs to test one of these in space. I am guessing the Chinese might do that first. Keep in mind that even though the engine doesn't burn fuel, it really does burn fuel because it needs electricity to power it, lots of electricity for lots of thrust. They are talking about needing nuclear reactors like we use on Navy ships to be able to build interplanetary ships that can go fast.

Alan

 

[Teej]

I think the point of the interplanetary version of the EM drive is that it WON'T require a lot of electricity to run.......in its final form.

This sort of science fiction-ish level technology, such as the ion drive that WAS used to go out past Pluto, etc, that starts off as impossible, ends up being old hat that gets replaced by the next breakthrough.

Very cool stuff.

 

[Pi R Squared]

I think the point of the interplanetary version of the EM drive is that it WON'T require a lot of electricity to run.......in its final form.

This sort of science fiction-ish level technology, such as the ion drive that WAS used to go out past Pluto, etc, that starts off as impossible, ends up being old hat that gets replaced by the next breakthrough.

Very cool stuff.

Yes very cool stuff. The ion drive also has hardly any thrust, so it takes years for it to reach a reasonable speed, it took 9 years to get to Pluto. If I remember right, theoreticaly they can make them capable of reaching 1/10th the speed of light, but the thrust is so small that it would take too long to reach that speed.

The EM drive may not require a lot of power for a small unmanned probe if you're not in a hurry, but for larger spacecraft it will, it is still converting one type of energy into another. I expect the increase in power required for a larger spacecraft would not be linear with the increase in the mass of a spacecraft, it would likely be proportional to the square of the increase of mass of the spacecraft. For a large manned spacecraft this would require a huge amount of power, even small nuclear reactors may not be adequate. In any case it appears that a new discovery has been made, but just what, remains to be seen, more testing needs to be done.

Alan

 

[Blarg King]

Still, if a small, low powered version was proven to be functional, it would be useful for counteracting the small amount of drag lower orbit satellites and stations experience.

 

[Teej]

Absolutely, the ion drive is a lot stronger than a photon drive, but this new technology is a LOT stronger than the ion drive.

Its akin to really tall gearing on your 10 speed bike....hell to get going, but you can go really fast when its up to speed.

If scaled up, this could do what the ion drive could only dream of.


I think the biggest difference might be the potential one day for gravitational escape power with this drive. Right now, IIRC, they are at a theoretical ~ 1 ton thrust per kW.......very nice potential....


....assuming the entire thrust is not due to experimental error, as with the never ending cold fusion experiments, etc

>

 

[Pi R Squared]

Still, if a small, low powered version was proven to be functional, it would be useful for counteracting the small amount of drag lower orbit satellites and stations experience.

That would be great if that worked without much power, maybe it would work with just solar power.

Absolutely, the ion drive is a lot stronger than a photon drive, but this new technology is a LOT stronger than the ion drive.

Its akin to really tall gearing on your 10 speed bike....hell to get going, but you can go really fast when its up to speed.

If scaled up, this could do what the ion drive could only dream of.

I think the biggest difference might be the potential one day for gravitational escape power with this drive. Right now, IIRC, they are at a theoretical ~ 1 ton thrust per kW.......very nice potential.

If they can get it to be that efficient then that should do the job. Here is another article I read this morning:

Yahoo!

Alan