The Impossible Engine is Possible

[stomachmonkey]

NASA: New "impossible" engine works, could change space travel forever

Until yesterday, everyone in the international community was laughing at this engine and its inventor, Roger Sawyer. It's called the EmDrive and everyone said it was impossible because it goes against classical mechanics. But the fact is that the quantum vacuum plasma thruster works and scientists can't explain why.

Sawyer's engine is extremely light and simple. It provides a thrust by "bouncing microwaves around in a closed container." The microwaves are generated using electricity that can be provided by solar energy. No propellant is necessary, which means that this thrusters can work forever unless a hardware failure occurs. If real, this would be a major breakthrough in space propulsion technology.

Obviously, the entire thing sounded preposterous to everyone. In theory, this thing shouldn't work at all. So people laughed and laughed and ignored him. Everyone except a team of Chinese scientists. They built one in 2009 and it worked: They were able to produce 720 millinewton, which is reportedly enough to build a satellite thruster. And still, nobody else believed it.

Now, American scientist Guido Fetta and a team at NASA Eagleworks—the advanced propulsion skunkworks led by Dr Harold "Sonny" White at the Johnson Space Center—have published a new paper that demonstrates that a similar engine working on the same principles does indeed produce thrust. Their model, however, produces much less thrust—just 30 to 50 micronewtons. But it works, which is amazing on its own. They haven't explained why their engine works, but it does work:

[gacook]

Wow. Not my realm, so can't comment much beyond that.

[911_Dude]

My money says that article is BS. The plastic gear clockwork in the pic looks pretty suspicious to me.

[GH85Carrera]

Show me a link to an official NASA web site that says it is real and I will be less skeptical.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Show me a link to an official NASA web site that says it is real and I will be less skeptical.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) - Anomalous Thrust Production from an RF Test Device Measured on a Low-Thrust Torsion Pendulum

[Amail]

It's - it's - a gearerator!!!

[aschen]

interesting, I will try to read that artical later

50 milli Newtons aint very much at all but I guess thats not the point. The implication of propultion without mass or momentum flux seems crazy

[jwasbury]

So this would be the "impulse power" they talk about on Star Trek. Cool. Now all we need is warp drive and we can go to the planet where those green chicks live

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by jwasbury

So this would be the "impulse power" they talk about on Star Trek. Cool. Now all we need is warp drive and we can go to the planet where those green chicks live

Warp? Why not Twist?

[Nostril Cheese]

Where our military budget SHOULD be going..

[Porsche-O-Phile]

They need a breakthrough on the Alcubierre drive. There are scientists performing legit research on this and it's theoretically possible (if negative energy densities can be attained) but still very cool to think about...

[cashflyer]

Infinitely improbable.

[wdfifteen]

"quantum vacuum virtual plasma?"
Sounds too much like Dilithium Crystals to me.

[Por_sha911]

Skeptics also laughed at the Turbo Entabulator!

[Nickshu]

Wonder if it uses a dingle arm to reduce sinusoidal repleneration.

[rusnak]

I can produce thrust after "bouncing microwaves in a closed container" too. I find that Jimmy Dean pre-cooked breakfast sausage yields the best thrust reaction in about 30 minutes.

[Jrboulder]

Meh, Space. We've BTDT

[Bugsinrugs]

I can produce thrust after "bouncing microwaves in a closed container" too. I find that Jimmy Dean pre-cooked breakfast sausage yields the best thrust reaction in about 30 minutes.

I have looked into this The sausage to distance ratio did not pencil out

[rusnak]

Don't forget, in outer space there is no drag coefficient. A 12oz. sausage can have you hurled into a sun or something.

[mreid]

There have been many, many things in our history thought "impossible" and later proven very possible. Let's hope this is one.