Is an electromagnetic propulsion system the way to Mars in 70 days or less?
That’s the question on the minds of many astrophysicists and scientists alike following the publication of a study by NASA’s Eagleworks Laboratories, which found an electromagnetic drive – or EM drive – produced small amounts of thrust in a vacuum: 1.2 millinewtons per kilowatt of electricity to be exact.
The peer-reviewed study – entitled “Measure of Impulsive Thrust from a Closed Radio-Frequency Cavity in a Vacuum” – notes that the machine designed to generate thrust by bouncing microwaves around inside a cone-shaped copper chamber does so “over two orders of magnitude higher” than other forms of zero-propellant propulsion like light sails, laser propulsion and photon rockets.
So instead of using inefficient rocket fuel to send spacecraft throughout the solar system, thrust is generated by those bouncing microwaves inside a chamber without a propellant or exhaust: a finding that flies in the face of Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion that for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.
Brian Koberlein, an astrophysicist and senior lecturer of physics and astronomy at the Rochester Institute of Technology, acknowledged that what researchers found was “interesting and exciting,” but said there’s reasons to be skeptical.
“Things such as thermal expansion of the device could account for the results, for example,” Koberlein wrote in Forbes.com. “Now that the paper is officially out, other possible error sources are likely to be raised. There’s also the fact that there’s no clear indication of how such a drive can work. While the lack of theoretical explanation isn’t a deal breaker (if it works, it works), it remains a big puzzle to be solved. The fact remains that experiments that seem to violate fundamental physics are almost always wrong in the end.”
Koberlein said he remains “highly skeptical” of the experiment, but admitted that the findings are “valid” research. He now wants to see researchers try the experiment in space.
British engineer Roger Shawyer first proposed development of the EM drive nearly 20 years ago. And if the incarnation developed and tested by NASA engineers continues to withstand scientific scrutiny, space travel will change dramatically since “staying light” is crucial for cost-effective trips over long distances, according to National Geographic.
NASA, meanwhile, has remained largely quiet on its propulsion projects, saying last year that its scientists were not working on “warp drive” technology.
“While conceptual research into novel propulsion methods by a team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston has created headlines, this is a small effort that has not yet shown any tangible results,” NASA officials told Space.com in May 2015. “NASA is not working on ‘warp drive’ technology.”
The researchers listed nine possible sources of error for the experiment, including vibration and magnetic interaction, and called for additional testing.