This engine breaks Newton’s Law!

Q.  What is EmDrive?
- Published on 15 Nov 16

a. A controversial engine design
b. Experimental propulsion system
c. Both of the above
d. Neither of the above

ANSWER: Both of the above
 
This engine breaks Newton’s Law!A controversial and puzzling engine design that could make space travel cheaper and faster may work, according to a new NASA study
  • Experimental propulsion system called the EmDrive seems to violate the laws of physics yet generates thrust in a lab test
  • The EmDrive has been developed by British researcher Roger Shawyer over a decade ago and generates thrust by bouncing microwaves around inside a cone shaped chamber
  • As per Newton’s third law of motion- for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction- this should not work, because no exhaust is expelled out of the EmDrive system
  • Researchers from NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston did measure some thrust
  • EmDrive variant produced 1.2 milli newtons of force per kilowatt of energy
  • This is about 100 times the thrust of a solar sailing spacecraft which harnesses the momentum of the photons streaming from the Sun
  • Much like solar sails, the EmDrive requires no propellant
  • This is a spacecraft equipped with a propulsion system to generate microwaves it needs using solar panels
  • EmDrive could make space travel cheaper and faster, opening up the heavens to greater exploration
  • Further testing is needed to rule out experimental errors

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