Not 1898. 2008. The Emdrive. A supposedly impossible space propulsion technology that’s been developed in the U.K in 2001and then left to moulder without government backing. So now the Chinese are investing heavily in it and say they’ve proved it can be built. The scientific community are largely derisive of the underlying theory, that electrical energy can be directly converted to thrust without violating some laws of physics along the way.  It’s allegedly impossible. Yet, Roger Shawyer and Satellite Propulsion Research (SPR) say they’ve built working protoypes. Independent verification has not yet

From Wired’s recent article on the subject:

Now the Chinese connection with the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) in Xi’an seems to have paid off.

“NPU started their research program in June 2007, under the supervision of Professor Yang Juan. They have independently developed a mathematical simulation which shows unequivocally that a net force can be produced from a simple resonant tapered cavity,” Shawyer tells Danger Room. “The thrust levels predicted by this simulation are similar to those resulting from the SPR design software, and the SPR test results.”

What’s more, Shawyer says, NPU is “currently manufacturing” a “thruster” based on this theoretical work.

The NPU have confirmed that they have reproduced the theoretical work, and are building a demosntration version of the Emdrive.

Some of the benefits of the Emdrive:

• The EmDrive makes possible a big improvement in the cost performance of the Next Generation of Satellites.

• The EmDrive offers a more elegant solution to satellite propulsion than any other form that exists today.

• Satellites are not burdened with heavy propellant subsystems. The satellite platform configuration can dispense with the tanks, pipes and valves and the propellant itself.
• Longer satellite life

It’s invigorating to hear about real innovation in space technologies. Nasa’s been mining the same propulsion vein for far too long without seriously focusing on new technologies.  To be fair, they’re forced to ignore anything non critical by the skimpy budget they’re doled out. I’d like to imagine that given enough spending cash for research, the nasa folks would be geeking out about it too.

Now to whip electro-gravitics research into shape and solve the whole launch issue.  Unless of course you think that it’s already been developed by the boys in the backroom and simply hidden from us.

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