Space & Astronomy

Can EmDrive take us to Mars in 70 days ?

By T.K. Randall
September 4, 2016

Image: Science Fiction Starship
Credit: Alorin / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) First developed back in 2001 by aerospace engineer Roger Shawyer, EmDrive allegedly works by converting electrical power in to thrust without the need for propellant through a process that scientists argue is in direct violation of the laws of physics.

A potentially revolutionary piece of technology, the engine could significantly reduce the time it takes to reach other worlds and make it possible for humans to get to Mars in under three months.

Now according to sources at NASA, a paper detailing the design and build of the mysterious engine has passed a rigorous peer review process and is set to be published in the near future.One of the biggest mysteries surrounding EmDrive is its apparent ability to produce thrust without producing any sort of exhaust, something that conventional physics deems impossible and a conundrum that has lead some scientists to suggest that we simply lack the means with which to adequately measure whatever exhaust is actually being produced by it.

The authors of the new paper however suggest that the reason the engine doesn't appear to be producing any exhaust is because the photons coming out of it are interfering with one another.

"In the cavity the input photons will bounce back and forth, and invariably some of them will interfere completely destructively," they wrote. "Then the two photons will be exactly 180 degrees out phase."

Whether this adequately explains all of the EmDrive's peculiarities however remains to be seen.

Source: Tech Times

Tags: EmDrive, NASA