To Dream the Impossible Flying Saucer

[Gene Steinberg]

A new and fancy propulsion system to take us to other planets and beyond?

Maybe.

NASA tests 'impossible' flying saucer thruster, could reach Mars in days • The Register

 

[mike]

In a paper published by the agency’s experimental Eagleworks Laboratories, Nasa engineers confirmed that they had produced tiny amounts of thrust from an engine without propellant – an apparent violation of the conservation of momentum; the law of physics that states that every action must have an equal and opposite reaction.

Nasa approves 'impossible' space engine design that apparently violates the laws of physics - Science - News - The Independent

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Mike, I moved your piece to this thread to unify them.

 

[mike]

Thanks Gene

 

[boomerang]

Fascinating and who knows where it will lead. But sounds like the technology is very immature. 100 micro Newtons of thrust is quite miniscule. For comparison--the smallest model rocket engine sold by Estes industries produces a peak thrust of 5 Newtons. About like a small bottle rocket. Even taking constant boost into account, I think we are still at least one major breakthrough away from Buck Rogers.

 

[manxman]

i dunno much about advanced 'futuristic' space travel, but i dont think im too far off with this guess, long range space travel machine's will be build/assembled in space, and will be fuel-less.

They will utilise one or more of the many natural rescource's in that environment imo, sunlight, radiation, gravity fields, sheesh the list is endless, the cosmos is alive with 'energy'.

 

[Randall]

In a paper published by the agency’s experimental Eagleworks Laboratories, Nasa engineers confirmed that they had produced tiny amounts of thrust from an engine without propellant – an apparent violation of the conservation of momentum; the law of physics that states that every action must have an equal and opposite reaction.

Nasa approves 'impossible' space engine design that apparently violates the laws of physics - Science - News - The Independent

I suspect that the laws of physics aren't being violated, and that it's a case of not understanding the phenomenon. For example, sailing ships don't require fuel to produce thrust. Instead they harness naturally occurring energy from wind and turn it into thrust via their sails. Solar sails use a similar principle. So I suspect that if the claims continue to be verified, the principle will turn out to be something along those lines. They'll discover some existing energy in the environment or materials that is being harnessed via the engineering of the engine.