Lugh@futurology.todayM to Futurology@futurology.todayEnglish · 8 months agoAlthough not peer reviewed or replicated, a NASA veteran claims their Propellantless Propulsion Drive, that physics says shouldn’t work, just produced enough thrust to overcome Earth’s gravitythedebrief.orgexternal-linkmessage-square60fedilinkarrow-up11arrow-down10cross-posted to: [email protected]
arrow-up11arrow-down1external-linkAlthough not peer reviewed or replicated, a NASA veteran claims their Propellantless Propulsion Drive, that physics says shouldn’t work, just produced enough thrust to overcome Earth’s gravitythedebrief.orgLugh@futurology.todayM to Futurology@futurology.todayEnglish · 8 months agomessage-square60fedilinkcross-posted to: [email protected]
minus-squarejordanlund@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·8 months agoThey did this on Mythbusters in small scale years ago and the science of it is fascinating. I don’t think it would do much to break orbit, but once IN space it could be interesting. https://youtu.be/UCiU96rJJoo This is what they were testing: https://youtu.be/006d36WWyaQ You take a lightweight balsawood frame, wrap it in tinfoil and lightweight wire, then pump high voltages through it. https://hackaday.com/2016/07/13/expanding-horizons-with-the-ion-propelled-lifter/
minus-squareferret@sh.itjust.workslinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·8 months agoThat isn’t propellant-less. The propellant is air, and in space where there is no atmosphere they typically use xeon gas
minus-squaremacarthur_park@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·8 months agoNote that what the mythbusters looked at was a form of ion propulsion. The high voltage on the sharp boundary of the aluminum foil repels air molecules. If you put one of those in a vacuum (or space) it wouldn’t have any thrust.
minus-squarethreelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.workslinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·8 months ago If you put one of those in a vacuum (or space) it wouldn’t have any thrust. IIRC, the MythBusters did exactly that later in the episode. Unsurprisdngly, the devices produced no thrust in a vacuum chamber.
They did this on Mythbusters in small scale years ago and the science of it is fascinating.
I don’t think it would do much to break orbit, but once IN space it could be interesting.
https://youtu.be/UCiU96rJJoo
This is what they were testing:
https://youtu.be/006d36WWyaQ
You take a lightweight balsawood frame, wrap it in tinfoil and lightweight wire, then pump high voltages through it.
https://hackaday.com/2016/07/13/expanding-horizons-with-the-ion-propelled-lifter/
That isn’t propellant-less. The propellant is air, and in space where there is no atmosphere they typically use xeon gas
Note that what the mythbusters looked at was a form of ion propulsion. The high voltage on the sharp boundary of the aluminum foil repels air molecules. If you put one of those in a vacuum (or space) it wouldn’t have any thrust.
IIRC, the MythBusters did exactly that later in the episode. Unsurprisdngly, the devices produced no thrust in a vacuum chamber.