posted on Sep, 5 2016 @ 09:18 PM
An EM Drive company Cannae Inc claims that by July 2018 it will send a test satellite as a proof of concept of their EMDrive design.
The EMDrive uses microwaves in a closed container to accelerate itself in a specific direction. However, its apparently closed design make it
impossible according to generally accepted models of physics. So, its a controversial device. However, it appears to have been replicated by two or
three scientifically minded organizations including NASA. There are a number of theories that suggest theories under which the device can function,
one of which is that while it appears to be a closed design in fact is not closed. Its also unlikely that the creators understand their invention if
it does turn out to work. At least two different inventors claim to have functioning EM Drive type devices.
If it does work, it may be dramatically better than ion thrusters. However, most academic sources, including the ones that made functioning EM Drives
them self, do not believe it will achieve substantial thrust. The parties that replicated the device believe their apparent thrust is experimental
error.
Personally, I don't understand physics enough to understand why it couldn't work based on the provided logic by the physics experts. For every
action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, if you have action in closed container, I would think it must move the container in some
direction that isn't nowhere. I guess I'd have the opposite opinion that if you did have motion in a closed container, and no thrust happened in any
direction, that would be a violation of my apparently terrible understanding of physics. Of course microwaves offer no motion as they are EM waves, so
on that EMdrive in specific I'd agree it does not make sense even in my own flawed understanding of physics.
Source
cannae.com...