After a lull, the news of the “impossible electromagnetic engine” back. Researchers from the Chinese space Agency has published through local news Agency the video, which allegedly shows the functioning of the electromagnetic motor (EM Drive). Whether the Chinese managed to do the impossible? Let’s not jump to conclusions, at least as soon as China did.
To begin, let’s review what we know about the EM Drive at the moment. To the above Chinese news media reported at least two of the supposedly breakthrough achievements related to the creation of an electromagnetic motor. The source of one of them was the space Agency NASA, published a review of a work, which States that the electromagnetic motor really works, at least in theory.
Conclusions, of course, undergone a certain degree of scepticism from some experts and, at best, was perceived as ambiguous and contradictory. Why, let us examine below. Then came news from China, where it was stated that experts have proven the efficiency of the EM Drive and currently have started testing one of them. In the last published video shows that the results of these tests proved to be successful.
The design of the EM Drive
What is the EM Drive? Also known as a radio frequency cavity with the accelerating field EM Drive is allegedly capable of generating thrust without using any fuel. This creates an electromagnetic thrust against the wall of a special chamber of the microwave. In addition, the total impulse generated by the EM Drive that presumably will constantly increase, which in theory will allow the spacecraft to high speeds.
The interest in such technology is absolutely clear. Because in the future it may open the way to cheap space travel, as well as faster space travel. However, there is one “but”. Physics, according to which this EM Drive is in contradiction to the third Newton’s law of motion – for every action there is an equivalent and reverse reaction, which in our case in space it is impossible to create without fuel.
“Action and reaction to this action are a direct result of conservation of momentum,” says Bryce, Cassenti, an expert in developing advanced propulsion systems from the University of Connecticut.
“Violation of a fundamental law, like conservation of momentum, will lead to the deprivation of a significant part of the basis for all the physics that we know”.
Despite all our desire to obtain a device which can produce a real revolution in space travel will allow us to get to Mars and beyond much faster than is possible now, it is unlikely that this device will be exactly the electromagnetic motor. Nor is such a device warp engine, which some media mistook EM Drive. Warp drive and EM Drive – completely different things.
Unfortunately, warp drive is possible only in the realities of science fiction, allowing you to travel through space faster than the speed of light by diffraction of the fabric of space-time.
“The fundamental basis of all scientific knowledge tells us that this is impossible, especially given the theory of relativity,” — says NASA.
Without the presence of the EM Drive and the apparent impossibility, at least in the near (and probably distant) future, to create a warp drive is the only thing we have to rely is a conservative propulsive jet technology. They, most likely, will allow people to get to Mars and beyond. For this, experts say, it is only necessary to start big, really big rockets with thrust very high-power units. And this is just now engaged in NASA and private companies such as SpaceX, which promises that its rocket Interplanetary Transport System will be able to deliver people to Mars in just 80 days. And according to CEO Elon musk, rocket technologies still have a large supply of potential. Realize it, you can reduce flight time up to our planetary neighbor, in just 30 days.
Maybe it looks faster than light, or at least as fast as attributed to EM Drive, but this is a more realistic option, which is also not getting into the controversy before the fundamental laws of physics.
China has established the EM Drive? Experts doubt
Nikolai Khizhnyak