‘Impossible’ space engine may actually work: NASA
6 Aug 2014 4:45 AM IST
In a major breakthrough in space propulsion, NASA researchers have found that ‘impossible’ microwave thrusters that require no propellant may actually work.
Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston have found that a microwave thruster system that requires no propellant does indeed generate a small amount of thrust.
The technology could make spaceflight far cheaper and speedier, potentially opening up much of the cosmos to exploration, experts say.
‘Test results indicate that the RF [radio frequency] resonant cavity thruster design, which is unique as an electric propulsion device, is producing a force that is not attributable to any classical electromagnetic phenomenon and, therefore, is potentially demonstrating an interaction with the quantum vacuum virtual plasma,’ according to the NASA team.
The study was presented last week at the 50th Joint Propulsion Conference in Cleveland. The origins of the propulsion system tested by the NASA team trace back to a British researcher named Roger Shawyer, who claims that his ‘EmDrive’ generates thrust by rocketing microwaves around in a chamber, ‘Space.com’ reported.
Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston have found that a microwave thruster system that requires no propellant does indeed generate a small amount of thrust.
The technology could make spaceflight far cheaper and speedier, potentially opening up much of the cosmos to exploration, experts say.
‘Test results indicate that the RF [radio frequency] resonant cavity thruster design, which is unique as an electric propulsion device, is producing a force that is not attributable to any classical electromagnetic phenomenon and, therefore, is potentially demonstrating an interaction with the quantum vacuum virtual plasma,’ according to the NASA team.
The study was presented last week at the 50th Joint Propulsion Conference in Cleveland. The origins of the propulsion system tested by the NASA team trace back to a British researcher named Roger Shawyer, who claims that his ‘EmDrive’ generates thrust by rocketing microwaves around in a chamber, ‘Space.com’ reported.
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