Scientists Confirm EM Engine Viability

[cubby]

Teams of scientists are confirming the EM propulsion engine discovered earlier this year. Go go Mars in 70 days, with no rocket fuel.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/07/...-by-scientists

[Morae]

:I

This is interesting. It should not work, but so far it has worked in all tests. Has science missed something? Did we stumble on something that is just beyond our knowledge? Something we just didn't think of before?

If it really does work and to such extent that it can be used, it makes traveling in our solar system much more viable.

[phitness]

It's cool to know that there was someone out there that just said fuck conventional science and went ahead with it anyway. Who knows how many other things could have been done but weren't because it broke the laws of physics or what have you.

[unbound]

http://www.iflscience.com/no-em-driv...-any-time-soon

Better article. The IGN article is somewhat misleading.

To emphasize how little force this new drive is accomplishing, here is the first page of the group doing the work - http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2015-4083

Which states that the engine is only appearing to produce a maximum of 20 microNewtons.

The average punch to the face is about 1,500,000,000 microNewtons. And one punch to the face isn't going to move you very fast in space, much less this engine.

[Garnier Fructis]

Another article on this:
http://io9.com/no-german-scientists-...ibl-1720573809

with an interesting observation:

“I noted in [the study’s] conclusion paragraphs that [Tajmar’s] apparatus was producing hundreds of micro-Newtons of thrust when it got very hot and that his measuring instrumentation is not very accurate when the apparatus becomes hot,” Davis told io9. “He also stated that he was still recording thrust signals even after the electrical power was turned off which is a huge key clue that his thrust measurements are all systematic artifact false positive thrust signals.”

- - - Updated - - -

Why do reporters do this? They did this with the 'superluminal' neutrinos at the LHC. A legion of posters declared skeptics close minded, and they all got egg on their faces afterward when it turned out to be a systematic error.

[Deleted]

IGN

German scientists have confirmed that an Electromagnetic Propulsion Engine, claimed by some to be 'impossible', actually works.

It will supposedly be able to get us to Mars in just 70 days, without using expensive rocket fuel.

IFLscience

It has not been confirmed to “actually work”. It cannot get us to Mars in 10 weeks. And it does not break the laws of physics as we know them.

"Article needs more hyperbole 1/10" - IGN

[Deleted]

1. it has not been shown to work. Some barriers to it not working have been shown not to apply.
2. It would require fuel, unless you can create microwaves from nothing.
3. the impacts have been vastly exaggerated, especially at this early stage.

Its an interesting technology, though its theoretical at this stage, and there is no guarantee it will ever get past being an interesting idea.

I'll wait some peer reviewed, verified experimental results before I get all excited.

[Sunseeker]

To emphasize how little force this new drive is accomplishing, here is the first page of the group doing the work - http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2015-4083

Which states that the engine is only appearing to produce a maximum of 20 microNewtons.

The average punch to the face is about 1,500,000,000 microNewtons. And one punch to the face isn't going to move you very fast in space, much less this engine.

True, but making something bigger is generally simpler than making something at all.

[Deleted]

True, but making something bigger is generally simpler than making something at all.

Ye but you can't make space stuff too big before it becomes problematic to get it into orbit, even in several pieces. And i imagine the mass to trust ratio of this device, especially on a fully equipped spacecraft, is way way way to low to be practical. This technology if it works will need to become several orders of magnitude more efficient in either trust or power consumption to be practical.

[Nachturnal]

Got excited till I saw the IGN link. Of course IGN is going to hyperbole the shit out of it. 20 microNewtons lol!

[Cosmic Janitor]

Another article on this:
http://io9.com/no-german-scientists-...ibl-1720573809

with an interesting observation:


- - - Updated - - -

Why do reporters do this? They did this with the 'superluminal' neutrinos at the LHC. A legion of posters declared skeptics close minded, and they all got egg on their faces afterward when it turned out to be a systematic error.

The article in the OP is a special kind of bad anyway. First it insults people who are skeptic, then it claims it's confirmed as a viable thrust engine and after that goes full caveat mode and says it needs to be evaluated if it is at all viable.. I mean really. IGN should probably stick to their guns and keep releasing bought reviews.

[cubby]

http://www.iflscience.com/no-em-driv...-any-time-soon

Better article. The IGN article is somewhat misleading.

Thank you. It was the first one I came across and then I had to go to work.

[CmdrShep2154]

Can we finally build this now?