EmDrive Is an Engine That Breaks the Laws of Physics and Could Take Us to Mars

A new type of engine that does not need propellant could help take astronauts to Mars.

 

IMAGE: FLICKR, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

An experimental engine is gaining acceptance among scientists, and could introduce a new era of space travel — it only had to break a law of physics to do so.

The picture, below, is of the EmDrive. It uses electricity to generate microwaves, which then bounce around in a closed space and generate thrust. The drive does not need propellant, an important part of current space-travel mechanics.

The force generated by the drive is not particularly strong, but the implications are big. Multiple independent experiments have now replicated the drive’s ability to generate thrust, albeit with varying success. Using panels to convert solar energy into electricity and then into thrust, opens the door to perpetual space travel fueled by the stars.

Scientists were slow to warm up to the EmDrive since it violates the law of the conservation of momentum. In addition to not being sure why it works — current theories rely on quantum mechanics — scientists also have some pretty good ideas why it shouldn’t work.

The law of the conservation of momentum is pretty important. It says that you can’t create or destroy momentum. The momentum of two objects that collide is equal before and after the impact. Space travel relies on this principle. A typical rocket engine or thruster uses propellant that it blasts out to create an opposing force. Think of a fireman with a giant firehose. Turn it on, and it pushes back against you.

The Emdrive appears to have found a loophole. It is, in some sense, creating an unbalanced equation of momentum.

The engine’s inventor, Roger Shawyer, and his company, SPR Ltd., have been working on thisfor more than a decade with little fanfare. Shawyer’s science had been roundly criticized, although no one seemed to be able to prove that it didn’t work.

Slowly, the scientific community has come around. Last year, Chinese scientists replicated it. Now, NASA has done it, too, with the help of U.S. scientist Guido Fetta, who has built his own thruster similar to the Emdrive. A new paper on an eight-day test completed in August 2013 describes the dynamic as “a force that is not attributable to any classical electromagnetic phenomenon, and therefore is potentially demonstrating an interaction with the quantum vacuum virtual plasma.” More tests are planned.

Potential applications of the technology vary, from replacing propellant thrusters on satellites, thereby reducing the cost and difficulty of operating, to providing sustainable thrust on deep space missions, resulting in a trip to Mars taking just “weeks rather than months,” according toWired.

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Self-Driving Cars Will Hit UK Roads in 2015

Self-driving cars will be permitted on public roads in the UK starting in January 2015, but it could be a while before commuters can actually use them.

Cities in the UK can place bids to become test-driving areas for driverless vehicles, and out of the applicant pool, three cities will be chosen, said Vince Cable, the business secretary.

Several engineering groups, including one from the University of Oxford, have been experimenting with self-driving technology on private roads. The upcoming government-funded tests will mark the first time self-driving cars will be permitted on public roads, and test periods will last between 18 and 36 months.

“Driverless cars have huge potential to transform the UK’s transport network — they could improve safety, reduce congestion and lower emissions, particularly CO2,”

“Driverless cars have huge potential to transform the UK’s transport network — they could improve safety, reduce congestion and lower emissions, particularly CO2,” transport minister Claire Perry said in a statement. “We are determined to ensure driverless cars can fulfill this potential, which is why we are actively reviewing regulatory obstacles to create the right framework for trialling these vehicles on British roads.”

Last year, it was announced that the city of Milton Keynes, 53 miles north of London, would receive 100 driverless cars for test driving, but that won’t happen until 2017.

In the United States, California, Nevada and Florida are allapproved testing sites for self-driving cars, as well as areas in Japan and Sweden. Perhaps most notably, Google’s self-driving cars have been seen on the streets of Mountain View, California, home of Google‘s headquarters. Toyota has alsojumped aboard with its own spin on the self-driving car.

British cities that are interested in becoming test areas have until Oct. 1, 2014, to declare a bid. The three selected cities will receive a £10 million stipend (about $17 million) to be divided equally among them; it’s not yet public knowledge which companies will produce the self-driving cars.