It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
The device that has sparked their interest is an engine that generates thrust purely from electromagnetic radiation - microwaves to be precise - by exploiting the strange properties of relativity. It has no moving parts, and releases no exhaust or noxious emissions. Potentially, it could pack the punch of a rocket in a box the size of a suitcase. It could one day replace the engines on almost any spacecraft. More advanced versions might allow cars to lift from the ground and hover. It could even lead to aircraft that will not need wings at all. I can't help thinking that it sounds too good to be true......
With that pedigree, you'd imagine Shawyer would be someone the space industry would have listened to. Far from it. While at Astrium, Shawyer proposed that the company develop his idea. "I was told in no uncertain terms to drop it," he says. "This came from the very top."
What Shawyer had in mind was a replacement for the small thrusters conventional satellites use to stay in orbit. The fuel they need makes up about half their launch weight, and also limits a satellite's life: once it runs out, the vehicle drifts out of position and must be replaced. Shawyer's engine, by contrast, would be propelled by microwaves generated from solar energy. The photovoltaic cells would eliminate the fuel, and with the launch weight halved, satellite manufacturers could send up two craft for the price of one, so you would only need half as many launches.
posted by Rasobasi420
I can't attest to the science behind the model, but it's an interesting concept none the less.
The device generates thrust from electromagnetic radiation - microwaves to be precise - It has no moving parts and no exhaust or noxious emissions . . one day replace the engines on almost any spacecraft . .What Shawyer had in mind was a replacement for the small thrusters conventional satellites use to stay in orbit. The fuel they need makes up about half their launch weight, and also limits a satellite's life: once it runs out, the vehicle drifts out of position and must be replaced. Shawyer's engine, by contrast, would be propelled by microwaves generated from solar energy. The photovoltaic cells would eliminate the fuel, and with the launch weight halved, satellite manufacturers could send up two craft for the price of one, so you would only need half as many launches.[Edited by Don W]
“ . . why he was told by the top level administrators to "drop it". Wouldn't it make sense to at least put some research into a concept that could cut costs in half. [Edited by Don W]
One of the conditions of Shawyer's £250,000 funding from the UK's Department of Trade and Industry is that his research be independently reviewed, and he has been meticulous in cataloguing his work and in measuring the forces involved. "It's not easy because the forces are tiny compared to the weight of the equipment," he says.
The father of modern rocket propulsion is the American, Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard. Along with Konstantin Eduordovich Tsiolkovsky of Russia and Hermann Oberth of Germany, Goddard envisioned the exploration of space. A physicist of great insight, Goddard also had an unique genius for invention.
By 1926, Goddard had constructed and tested successfully the first rocket using liquid fuel. Indeed, the flight of Goddard's rocket on March 16,1926, at Auburn, Massachusetts, was a feat as epochal in history as that of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk. Yet, it was one of Goddard's "firsts" in the now booming significance of rocket propulsion in the fields of military missilery and the scientific exploration of space.
www.gsfc.nasa.gov...
posted by DragonsDemesne
My scientific training doesn't include relativity . . [Edited by Don W]
“ . . but everything there seems to make sense to me. Assuming he got that part right, this guy may actually be on to something. I wonder if this could be applied to other technology besides spacecraft.
Originally posted by GhostITM
This looks promising, but it will need further testing and evaluation before any commercial application of the drive can be achieved. The physics isn't all that difficult, so it should be quite easy to replicate. The hard part, as has been suggested is getting the walls of the cavity to become superconducting at a reasonably high enough temperature.
Looks like the materials science guys are going to have to come up with better high temp superconductors. Start thinking outside the box for better ideas
You know what, I think this would make an excellent project for some graduate electrical engineer or scientist to work on. For a PhD or post grad work.
Originally posted by esecallum
instead of using microwaves which need heavy magnetrons to generate and have poor efficiency (50% to 70%) why not use higher frequencies like instead like light or infrared waves ...
remember both microwaves and light waves are electromagnetic waves...
Originally posted by Rasobasi420
It makes on wonder why he was told by the top level administrators to "drop it". Wouldn't it make sense to at least put some research into a concept that could cut costs in half.
Originally posted by x08
Originally posted by esecallum
instead of using microwaves which need heavy magnetrons to generate and have poor efficiency (50% to 70%) why not use higher frequencies like instead like light or infrared waves ...
remember both microwaves and light waves are electromagnetic waves...
perhaps the higher frequencies don't have enough 'push' to do the job? i'm clueless about this kinda stuff these days (was a whiz in my school years.. but now it's all turned to mush.. killed by the monotony of routine)