Travel at the speed of light may be possible thanks to a chance discovery, but researchers warn not to get excited about a possible one-week trip to the star Alpha Centauri just yet. The technology of the new engine, which previously seemed impossible, was successfully tested for the third time.
Amateur and professional physicists discussed the results of the experiment online, although they have not yet given official comments.
The use of such an engine will not be limited to travel at speeds exceeding the speed of light. The technology will eliminate the need to use propellant on , which is now needed for periodic acceleration that maintains the ISS's orbital trajectory. Replacing the traditional propellant system on a conventional geostationary satellite will reduce the mass of an object launched into space from 3 to 1.3 tons and thus significantly reduce financial costs.
The ongoing experiments are still very far from the real application on spacecraft, but one day another technology " Star Trek can become an integral part of our life.
Cannae's six-unit CubeSat satellite. Render: Cannae Inc.
What is Em-Drive - expert commentary
- candidate of technical sciences
Em Drive, ElectroMagnetic Drive, an electromagnetic propulsion device is an ethereal engine based on a magnetron, which is a mystery to physicists smitten with relativistic ideology. For the first time, the development was presented by an aerospace engineer Roger Shoer(Roger Shawyer) in 2001, and the essence of the technology can be described as a "fuelless rocket engine", in the sense that it does not require fuel, the working fluid that creates the traditional jet thrust.
Chinese scientists said they have created a working version of the fuel-free EmDrive engine, whose principle of operation is still unknown. The device was tested on board the Tiangong-2 space laboratory and is now going to be used on orbiting satellites.
Diagram of one of the working EM-Drive prototypes
Em-Drive, ElectroMagnetic Drive, electromagnetic propulsion is an ethereal drive based on a magnetron, which is a mystery to physicists smitten with relativistic ideology. The development was first presented by aerospace engineer Roger Shawyer in 2001, and the essence of the technology can be described as a “fuelless rocket engine”, in the sense that it does not require fuel, a working fluid that creates traditional jet thrust.
The absence of large volumes of working fluid on board will make spacecraft lighter, easier to propel, and theoretically much cheaper to manufacture. In addition, such an engine will allow you to achieve incredibly high speeds: astronauts will be able to reach the outer limits of the solar system in just a matter of months.
The thing is that the very concept of motion without a reactive mass ejection, if we assume that vacuum is nothing, “does not fit” with the law of conservation of momentum, which states that linear and angular momentum remain constant inside a closed system, outside depending on the changes taking place within this system. Simply put, if an external force is not applied to the body, then it is impossible to move it.
Mysterious electromagnetic motor, which creates thrust without any reactive processes, also violates the Third (no less fundamental) law of dynamics: "For every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction." So how then does “action” (reactive propulsion of a spacecraft) occur without “opposition” (fuel combustion and jet mass ejection) and how is this even possible? If the system works, it means that forces or phenomena of an unknown nature are involved in it, or our understanding of the laws of physics is absolutely wrong.
How EM-Drive Works
Leaving for a moment the relativistic "impossibility" of technology, let's define what it is. So, EM-Drive belongs to the category of machines that use the RF resonant cavity thruster model in their work. Such devices operate by means of a magnetron that emits microwaves into a closed metal chamber in the shape of a truncated cone, which are then reflected from its rear wall, transferring jet thrust to the apparatus. Again, in ordinary language, the body simply “repels” itself from itself (how stupid were the people who believed Albert Einstein, and not Baron Munchausen, when he talked about how he pulled himself out of the swamp by the hair).
This principle of movement is fundamentally different from that used by modern spacecraft, which burn huge amounts of fuel to produce energy that lifts massive vehicles into the sky. One of the metaphors that reveal the essence of the "impossibility" of such technology can also be the assumption that the driver sitting in the passenger compartment of an unstarted car is able to move it from its place - just by pressing properly on the steering wheel.
Although there have been several successful tests of experimental prototypes - with a very small, on the order of a few grams, thrust (the weight of a small coin) - the results of none of the studies have been published in any peer-reviewed journal, which strictly block any publication that undermines relativistic doctrines. This means that any positive results and descriptions of the technology can only be found on the Internet.
Roger Scheuer and his EM-Drive
Until the technology has received appropriate official academic confirmation, it would be logical to assume that EM-Drive, in fact, does not work. However, there are many people who have empirically proven that the "impossible" electromagnetic motor still works:
In 2001 Scheuer received a €45,000 grant from the British government to test the EM-Drive. He stated that during the tests, a thrust of 0.016 N (~1.5 G) was obtained and this required 850 W of energy, however expert opinions relativists naturally refute this result. Moreover, the figures were so small that they could easily pass for the error of measuring equipment.
In 2008 a group of Chinese scientists from the Northwestern Polytechnic University headed by Yang Huang(Yang Juan) claimed to have validated the electromagnetic resonance propulsion technology and later developed its own working model of the engine. From 2012 to 2014, several successful tests were carried out, in which it was possible to obtain a thrust with a force of 0.75N at electrical power power supply 2.5 kW.
In 2014 NASA researchers tested their EM-Drive model, and the tests also took place in vacuum conditions. And again, scientists reported a successful experiment (they recorded a thrust of 0.0001N), the results of which, again, were not confirmed by independent experts. At the same time, another group of space agency scientists was very skeptical about the work of their colleagues - however, they could neither refute nor confirm the possibility of the technology, calling for more in-depth research.
In 2015 the same NASA team tested a different version of the Cannae Drive (formerly Q-drive) engine built by a chemical engineer Guido Fetta(Guido Fetta) and reported a positive result. Almost at the same time as them, German scientists from the Dresden University of Technology also published results in which they predictably confirmed the presence of "impossible" thrust.
And already at the end of 2015, another NASA experiment conducted by the Eagleworks group (Johnson Space Center) finally confirmed the viability of the technology. Testing was carried out taking into account previous errors and, nevertheless, the results were positive - the EM-Drive engine produces traction. At the same time, the researchers admit that new unaccounted factors have been discovered, one of which may be thermal expansion, which significantly affects the device in a vacuum. Whether the work is submitted to experts or not, scientists at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are confident that it is worth continuing the experiments.
What EM-DRIVE “shines” for us
In general, the scientific community is very cautious about everything related to EM-Drive and electromagnetic resonant cavity engines in general. On the other hand, this amount of research raises several questions. Why is there so much interest in the technology and why do so many people want to test it? What does an engine with such an attractive concept actually offer?
From various kinds of atmospheric satellites to safer and efficient cars- such a wide scope of application is predicted for a new device. But the main, truly revolutionary consequence of its implementation is the unimaginable horizons that open up for space travel.
Potentially, a ship equipped with an EM-Drive engine can get to the Moon in just a few hours, to Mars in 2-3 months and to Pluto in about 2 years (for comparison: it took the New Horizons probe to fly to Pluto over 9 years). These are rather loud statements, however, if it turns out that the technology has a real basis, these numbers will not be so fantastic. And this is taking into account the fact that there is no need to transport tons of fuel, the production of spacecraft will become simpler, and they themselves will be much lighter and much cheaper.
For NASA and similar organizations, including many private space corporations like SpaceX or Virgin Galactic, a lightweight and affordable ship that can quickly get to the farthest corners of the solar system is a thing that can only be dreamed of for now. However, to implement the technology, science still has to work hard.
At the same time, Scheuer firmly believes that no pseudoscientific or quantum theories are needed to explain how EM-Drive works. On the contrary, he is sure that the technology does not go beyond the current model of mechanics. In support of his words, he wrote several articles, one of which is now under review. The document is expected to be published this year. However, his past work has been criticized for incorrect and inconsistent scientific research.
Despite his insistence that the engine operates within the existing laws of physics, Scheuer manages to make some fanciful assumptions about EM-Drive as well. For example, he stated that the new engine is powered by the warp field and that is why latest results NASA have been successful. Such findings have attracted a lot of attention from the online community. However, again, today there is no transparent and open confirming data, and in order for the technology to be accepted by official science, more than one in-depth study needs to be carried out.
Colin Johnston of the Armagh Planetarium wrote a lengthy article criticizing EM-Drive and the inconclusive results of many experiments. In addition, Corey S. Powell of Discovery issued his guilty verdict for the EM-Drive and Cannae Drive engines, just as he did for NASA research. Another high-ranking monkey, professor of mathematics and physics, John S. Baez, generally called the concept of this technology "nonsense" and his conclusions reflect the mood of many so-called scientists, in fact, nonsensical scribblers, who think that if they have been cramming relativistic nonsense all their lives, they have become scientists. .
The EM-Drive has been greeted with enthusiasm by many, including the NASASpaceFlight.com website, which posted information about the latest Eagleworks experiments, and the popular New Scientist magazine, which wrote a positive and optimistic review of the electromagnetic engine, in which, nevertheless, did not forget to mention the need to provide additional facts mandatory for such contentious issues. In addition, enthusiasts from all over the world began to build their own models of engines with thrust of "unknown origin", one of the interesting working versions, created in "garage" conditions, was proposed by a Romanian engineer Julian Berka(Iulian Berca).
You need to understand that relativistic physics(the physics of Einstein and his apologists) in principle excludes the appearance of any thrust in the EM-Drive and similar devices, since it completely denies the ether, and if it recognizes it, it will sign its age-old fraud, the deception of mankind. However, truly proven working options for electromagnetic wave propulsion can open up hitherto unseen possibilities for both space and space exploration. land transport and flip modern science upside down, or rather put it back on its feet after a century of relativistic cheating.
About the EM-Drive project a few years ago
On the website computerra.ru on February 14, 2013, Evgeny Zolotov, an observer of the Computerra publishing house, published " Failure fuels success: why are the Chinese doing the right thing by funding a pseudoscience engine? ", in which even then it was concluded:
“... the Chinese will certainly come to the goal first, regardless of whether the electromagnetic engine will work in space or remain motionless. Unlike the author of EmDrive, they work at a state university, on state money: the communist Celestial Empire learned the lessons of a business school well. They are not afraid to bet on risky projects.”
The article is summarized below.
“Whatever you say, the British engineer-inventor Roger Schaer was more fortunate than many of his colleagues. When he received a small government grant in the early 2000s to build a prototype of an innovative rocket engine, he could hardly imagine how many circles of hell he would have to go through before his idea was taken seriously by anyone. Today, more than ten years later, he is still limited to laboratory experiments, but his stubbornness has ignited the interest of several scientific teams around the world and that, and look, will finally attract some kind of venture capital investor. The absence of which is perhaps the biggest mystery in this story.
Shaer's project, periodically, about once every few years, getting on the front pages of the popular science press, is unusual, if not extravagant. The bottom line is this. After twenty years at the European space giant Astrium, he founded his own LLC, Satellite Propulsion Research, and with the already mentioned financial support, he took up a fantastic topic: an engine that creates thrust without ejecting a working substance. After these words, a physically savvy reader should portray a grimace of disbelief, since all physics, from Newtonian mechanics to quantum mechanics, prohibits such a trick: in order to form thrust, you need to throw something out of the ship, push off something. And to start from water, earth, a jet of burnt or ionized gas is the tenth thing.
Shaer did not argue that the laws of physics are wrong - he suggested that the scientists who interpret them are wrong. And with the allocated money, he built a couple of prototypes of his EmDrive (short for “electromagnetic engine”). According to his own measurements, the prototypes developed thrust in fractions of a gram (for technical details, see Andrey Vasilkov's article " Short story bold projects).
EmDrive is, roughly speaking, a cone-shaped microwave oven, beyond which nothing also leaks, but the thrust in which is allegedly created towards the wide end due to some kind of imbalance of electromagnetic radiation.
All that is required for the operation of such an engine is electricity. Thrust can be increased indefinitely by increasing the size and using superconductors. And it can be used almost everywhere, from spaceships to levitating cars. It is tempting, to be sure, but why, then, has not a full-scale, practically useful sample been built yet? The fact is that Shaer faced distrust. Almost no one from the scientific community supported him. Critics explain the resulting thrust by errors in calculations and measurement errors: they say that such an “engine” will work at the stand, but in space, where it is not hinged, but left to itself, the thrust will be zero.
So what is it? Delusion? Deception? Yes, it may very well be! But in order to understand and appreciate the beauty of the situation, you need to look at it not through the eyes of a scientist, but through the eyes of an investor. Science cannot bet on dubious projects. But the venture capitalist not only can, but must! And Shaer, in a good way, should have been financed after the demonstration of the first positive results.
It's time to end the controversy
I intend to put the final end to the disputes Guido Petta(Guido Fetta) - an associate of Scheuer and the designer of another hypothetical Cannae Drive engine, which works on the same principle: generating microwaves and creating thrust in closed loop without exhaust.
On August 17, 2016, Guido Petta announced that he intended to launch an experimental Cannae Drive into orbit - and test it in action. Guido Petta is the CEO of Cannae Inc. Now Cannae Inc. licensed electromagnetic propulsion technology to Theseus Space Inc., which will launch the CubeSat satellite into low Earth orbit.
Among the founders of Theseus Space are Cannae Inc. itself, as well as little-known firms LAI International, AZ and SpaceQuest.
The launch date has not yet been announced. Perhaps enthusiasts will be able to raise money and build an experimental apparatus in 2017.
The sole purpose of this satellite is to test the Cannae Drive engine for six months. The satellite will try to move using Cannae Drive's electromagnetic propulsion.
Cannae Drive developers say their engine is capable of generating thrust up to several Newtons and "higher levels", which is best suited for use in small satellites. The engine does not require fuel, it has no exhaust.
The volume of the engine on the CubeSat satellite is no more than 1.5 units, that is, 10 × 10 × 15 cm. The power supply is less than 10 W. The satellite itself will consist of six units.
Cannae satellite. Render: Cannae Inc.
Immediately after a successful demonstration in orbit, Theseus Space intends to offer a new engine third party manufacturers for use on other satellites.
According to Cannae's calculations, a more massive version of the 3,500 kg electromagnetic motor is capable of delivering a 2,000 kg load over a distance of 0.1 light years in 15 years. total weight of such an apparatus, together with cooling systems and other parts, will be 10 tons.
Tests of Cannae's helium-cooled electromagnetic engine. Photo: Cannae
If the performance of the engine is confirmed as a result of a reliable repeatable scientific experiment, then scientists will have to find an explanation for this phenomenon. Roger Scheuer himself suggests that the principle of operation of the engine is based on the special theory of relativity. The motor converts electricity into microwave radiation that is emitted inside the closed conical cavity, which causes the microwave particles to exert more force on the larger, flat portion of the cavity surface than at the narrower end of the cone, thereby creating thrust.
Scheuer is sure that such a system does not contradict the law of conservation of momentum.
Guido Petta offers a similar explanation in the description of US patent No. 20140013724, mentioning the Lorentz force - the force with which an electromagnetic field acts on a point charged particle.
NASA researchers testing EmDrive suggest that the thrust is generated by the "quantum vacuum of a virtual plasma" of particles that appear and disappear in a closed loop of space-time. That is, the system is not really isolated, so it does not violate the law of conservation of momentum due to the effects of quantum physics.
EmDrive prototype by German engineer Paul Kocyla
The development of EmDrive is generally ignored by the scientific community, although some experiments are still being carried out. For example, in 2012, a group of Chinese physicists published the results of measuring the thrust of an electromagnetic engine, which was 70-720 mN at a microwave power of 80-2500 W, with a measurement error of less than 12%. This slightly exceeds the thrust of the ion engine.
Enthusiasts are sure: if EmDrive works, then in the future it will become possible creation not only efficient space engines, but also flying cars, as well as ships, aircraft - any electromagnetically driven transport.
Cannae is not alone in wanting to test the operation of an electromagnetic drive in space. German engineer Paul Kocyla(Paul Kocyla) designed a small pocket EmDrive and is now raising money through a crowdfunding campaign. It costs €24,200 to launch a prototype into space on a PocketQube mini-satellite. In three months, we managed to collect 585 euros.
« All over the world, people measured traction. Some built engines in their garages, others in large organizations. They all give out cravings, there is no great secret. Someone thinks that there is some kind of black magic here, but this is not so. Any normal physicist should understand how it works. If someone does not understand, it's time for him to change jobs»
Overall rating of the material: 4.5
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Graphene transparent, magnetic and filtering water
Cannae's six-unit CubeSat satellite. Render: Cannae Inc.
Experts and enthusiasts have been arguing since 2003 about the possibility of the existence of a hypothetical "magic" electromagnetic EmDrive motor. The principle of its operation is very simple: the magnetron generates microwaves, the energy of their oscillations is accumulated in a high quality resonator, and the fact of the presence of a standing wave of electromagnetic oscillations in a closed resonator special form is the source of traction. This is how thrust is created in a closed circuit, that is, in a system completely isolated from external environment , no exhaust.
On the one hand, this engine seems to violate the law of conservation of momentum, as pointed out by many physicists. On the other hand, British inventor Roger Shawyer is a firm believer in the performance of his EmDrive - and (see several hundred pages of discussions on the NASASpaceFlight forum). The tests carried out on Earth (the results of 22 tests) seem to confirm the performance of EmDrive.
It's time to end the controversy.
The final point in the debate intends to put Guido Petta (Guido Fetta) - like-minded Scheuer and the designer of another hypothetical engine Cannae Drive, which works on the same principle: the generation of microwaves and the creation of thrust in a closed circuit without exhaust.
On August 17, 2016, Guido Petta announced that he intended to launch an experimental Cannae Drive into orbit - and test it in action. Guido Petta is the CEO of Cannae Inc. Now Cannae Inc. licensed electromagnetic propulsion technology to Theseus Space Inc., which will launch the CubeSat satellite into low Earth orbit.
Among the founders of Theseus Space are Cannae Inc. itself, as well as little-known firms LAI International, AZ and SpaceQuest.
The launch date has not yet been announced. Perhaps enthusiasts will be able to raise money and build an experimental apparatus in 2017.
The sole purpose of this satellite is to test the Cannae Drive engine for six months. The satellite will try to move using Cannae Drive's electromagnetic propulsion.
Cannae Drive developers say their engine is capable of generating thrust up to several Newtons and "higher levels", which is best suited for use in small satellites. The engine does not require fuel, it has no exhaust.
The volume of the engine on the CubeSat satellite is no more than 1.5 units, that is, 10 × 10 × 15 cm. The power supply is less than 10 watts. The satellite itself will consist of six units.
Cannae satellite. Render: Cannae Inc.
Immediately after the successful demonstration in orbit, Theseus Space intends to offer the new engine to third parties for use on other satellites.
Enthusiasts are sure that if EmDrive works, then in the future it will be possible to create not only efficient space engines, but also flying cars, as well as ships, aircraft - any electromagnetically driven transport.
Cannae is not alone in wanting to test the operation of an electromagnetic drive in space. German engineer Paul Kocyla has designed a small pocket EmDrive and is now raising money through a crowdfunding campaign. It costs €24,200 to launch a prototype into space on a PocketQube mini-satellite. In three months, we managed to collect 585 euros.
EmDrive prototype by German engineer Paul Kocyla
Recently, Scheuer's scientific papers have been published in the public domain. “All around the world, people have been measuring cravings. Some built engines in their garages, others in large organizations. They all give out cravings, there is no great secret. Someone thinks that there is some kind of black magic here, but this is not so. Any normal physicist should understand how it works. If someone does not understand, it is time for him to change jobs, ”the British engineer categorically.
The scientific journal of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics published an article on a strange and controversial device - the EmDrive engine. According to a number of physicists, this design cannot work in principle. This would violate the fundamental law of nature, the conservation of momentum. Others are trying to find a reasonable explanation for why EmDrive still works, or at least reliable evidence that it works. They are attracted to a shaky but grandiose goal - an engine that can turn electricity into thrust without fuel or jet stream. Or - the final closure of a long-term dispute.
A scientific publication can be an important step in the history of the "impossible" engine. Despite the existence of dozens of experimental tests, their results have not been published in peer-reviewed journals. This is hampered by the absence theoretical foundations explaining how EmDrive works. In addition, many experiments cannot be called "clean" - there are many factors that can create the appearance of an engine. We will talk about them later, but we will start with other questions.
What it is?
This is a hypothetical engine proposed by the British inventor Roger Scheuer. Feeding on electricity, he (according to Scheuer and his not too numerous supporters) creates a weak thrust without the use of a working fluid. This strange fact is also indicated by some other experiments. However, the blatant violation of the law of conservation of momentum forces one to approach such statements with particular care - and many experts point to errors in the design of experiments that could create the illusion of a weak but existing thrust.
The miracle engine is arranged simply, any enthusiast who has mastered the control of the soldering iron can assemble it. It consists of two main parts: a magnetron and a resonator. A magnetron is a vacuum tube used to generate radiation in a conventional microwave oven. It consists of a hollow cylinder-anode and a central hair-cathode. Under the action of voltage, electrons fly out from the cathode and begin to move along complex trajectories inside the cylinder, emitting microwaves. They are transmitted along the waveguide from the magnetron to the resonator, which looks like a copper bucket with a lid. According to the inventor of the engine, Roger Scheuer, this is where the fun begins.
According to Scheuer, main feature EmDrive is a form of resonator. The inventor assumes that due to the difference in the diameter of the front and back walls (as at the bottom of the bucket and its lid), different forces act on them, caused by standing electromagnetic wave in the resonator. Their resultant pushes the engine forward, creating thrust, which is directed towards the "bottom". Subsequently, after several messages arguing with this idea, Scheuer clarified that the real mechanism is somewhat more complicated and may be associated with the manifestation of the effects of the special theory of relativity (SRT).
What's wrong with him?
Indeed, if you look at the first explanation of the mechanism of the engine, it turns out that it resembles the story of Baron Munchausen, who pulled himself and his horse out of the swamp by the hair. EmDrive is a closed system that does not throw anything into the surrounding space. Such an object cannot increase its momentum without external influences, just as Munchausen could not increase his own, no matter how hard he pulled. Proponents of the engine parry these arguments by saying that it is possible to admit the repulsion of the resonator from the vacuum state or to involve SRT in the explanation. However, physicists have repeatedly noted the roughness of such estimates or the lack of physical meaning in them.
But still, the essence of Scheuer's statements was not so much in theoretical descriptions, but in the fact that he allegedly fixed the real thrust from the engine. On his website, the researcher indicates a thrust value of about 200-230 mN / kW - more than that of ion engines that push spacecraft, throwing out charged particles accelerated in an electric field.
Deciding that it was up to theoreticians to explain this thrust, several groups of experimenters tested the EmDrive in their labs. This work was done by researchers from China's Northwestern Polytechnic University and the Technical University of Dresden. They were recently joined by the authors of an article published in the Journal of Propulsion and power, researchers from NASA's Eagleworks division, who traditionally handle the agency's most controversial and "futuristic" projects.
Yes, but small?
The first tests gave seemingly encouraging results: a certain force acted on the switched-on device. However, its value turned out to be much less than the value predicted by Scheuer, and the more accurately the experiment was carried out, the less thrust was recorded. But the point is in principle: where can it even come from? If we do not consider the confused explanations of Scheuer, then we can distinguish several side processes, which theoretically can provide traction. These can be air flows associated with engine heating, or thermal expansion of the experimental setup itself. A weak force can be created by repulsion from charges “settling” on the walls of the test chamber, or by the interaction of the EmDrive with the magnetic fields of the wires, or by the pressure of the radiation leaving the resonator.
The easiest way to deal with air flows is to conduct tests in a vacuum. Such tests were carried out by scientists from Dresden, who found thrust at a level of only 0.02-0.03 mN / kW - at the limit of measurement error. In addition, physicists noted that they used a resonator (the same copper "bucket") with a low quality factor. The radiation quickly left it, increasing the chances for the contribution of other side processes. NASA Eagleworks got a slightly higher figure of 1.2±0.1 mN/kW. At the same time, they claim to have traced all possible sources of side processes.
Is it a lot or a little?
Strictly speaking, a millinewton (mN) is less than the weight of one grain of sugar. But if we talk about jet flight in space, then even a thrust of 1 mN, continuously operating for several years, allows you to disperse a 100-kilogram apparatus to decent speeds.
It can be calculated that in ten years such a probe will accelerate by 3 km / s and (taking into account the starting second cosmic velocity) will overcome about 3.5 billion km. But if we evaluate the thrust at the level that Scheuer promises (200 mN/kW), we will get an acceleration of up to 600 km/s and a distance of 660 astronomical units, the distance from the Sun to the Earth.
So - weakly, but for a very long time and economically consuming the working fluid - ion and photon engines operate. The first "shoot" into space with charged ions accelerated to tens of kilometers per second. Their thrust can reach 60 mN/kW, but they require the use of a working fluid - usually a supply of inert gas. For example, the Dawn apparatus, which recently completed its main mission to explore Ceres, was forced to take on board 425 kg of xenon.
Photon engines have an incomparably lower thrust, on the order of several micronewtons per kilowatt of laser radiation power. The source of thrust in them is the impulse of photons flying out into outer space. But photon engines do not require to take either fuel or working fluid with them.
At the very end of 2016, the Chinese Academy space technologies(CAST) said it has been conducting its own research on the potential of EmDrive and its applications for several years. According to one of the leaders of CAST, Chen Yue, the organization conducted its own, "long-term and repeated" experiments, which confirmed the presence of traction in EmDrive. The prototype used in China produced only a few millinewtons, but new designs rated for 100 mN and more will be developed soon. Perhaps they will be tested already in orbit.
We must not forget about passive engines that do not require either electricity or fuel for their work - about solar sails. The thrust they develop is determined by the area of the sail and the distance to the Sun. Near the Earth, 1 m² of reflective material will develop a thrust of 0.1 mN. The total thrust of the Japanese experimental apparatus IKAROS with a sail of 200 m² reached just 2 mN. To understand the scale, we add that the thrust of the engines of the super-heavy rocket Saturn V, which sent astronauts to the moon, was 34,000,000 N.
Maybe they are wrong?
The publication of a work in a peer-reviewed scientific journal means that the article has been reviewed by several independent experts in the relevant field. This procedure supports enough high level articles, but even it does not avoid errors.
We can recall how in 2014 the international collaboration BICEP published the results of its many years of research in one of the most prestigious scientific journals Physical Review Letters. Scientists claimed to have discovered traces of gravitational waves while studying the CMB. However, this interpretation was incorrect, and the sensational results turned out to be the influence of galactic dust.
The journal in which the Eagleworks team published their work boasts a seven times lower citation index than Physical Review Letters. Therefore, there is even an opinion that the review procedure in it is not so strict and could miss the work, despite the flaws. It is worth noting that the NASA Eagleworks division itself is a very small laboratory with funding of $50,000 per year. This can hardly be enough to perform high-precision research and purchase the necessary equipment.
It works - okay?
If 100% evidence of EmDrive's performance existed, they would require serious work by theorists. But so far, the absence of an explanation is an unshakable rock against which all the arguments of too big enthusiasts of the “impossible engine” are broken. It even became an argument for refusing to publish early articles in serious scientific journals.
Simpler people like to notice that “it works and it’s okay, you don’t have to know how.” However, this approach can lead to unexpected problems in long-term space missions. For example, if the operation of the engine is associated with magnetic field, then it can behave unpredictably among the magnetic fields of outer space. No one wants the spacecraft to lose its only source of thrust somewhere halfway to Mars or distant Kuiper belt objects. So the classic requirement to provide reliable evidence must be accompanied by a requirement to explain everything that happens in the engine - but so far the creators of EmDrive cannot show either one or the other.
It is interesting to see why professional scientists work with such dubious projects. On the one hand, the discovery of real traction in EmDrive may point to fundamentally new effects and the long-awaited "new physics" beyond the boundaries of existing models. On the other hand, by “closing” the thrust of an impossible engine, scientists will finally be able to resolve a dispute that has long bothered everyone. And along the way - to create new ultra-precise methods for studying ultra-small forces.
Successful space exploration constantly requires mankind to study and discover new technologies that would make it possible to have more powerful equipment and create crew life support systems for further space flights. One of these revolutionary technologies could be the hypothetical EmDrive electromagnetic motor, which until recently was considered impossible. However, in 2016, NASA published the results of a study and experiments carried out by the engine, which prove its performance. The next step of the American space agency in the study of this issue is to conduct experiments on the EmDrive engine in outer space.
But let's start in order
First of all, let's briefly consider the principle of operation of an ordinary rocket engine. There are three most popular types rocket engines:
- Chemical - the most common type of rocket engine. Its principle of operation is as follows: depending on the aggregate state of the fuel (solid fuel or liquid engine) in one way or another, the oxidizer is mixed with the fuel, forming fuel. After a chemical reaction, the fuel burns out, leaving behind combustion products - a rapidly expanding heated gas. A jet of this gas exits the rocket nozzle, forming the so-called "working body", which is the same "fiery" jet that we often see, for example, in television programs or films.
- Nuclear - a type of engine in which a gas (such as hydrogen or ammonia) is heated as a result of obtaining energy from nuclear reactions (nuclear fission or fusion).
- Electric - an engine in which the heating of the gas occurs due to electrical energy. For example, the thermal type of such an engine heats up the gas (working fluid) with the help of heating element, while the static type accelerates the movement of gas particles using an electrostatic field.
Jet engine assembly
The body of such an engine must consist of non-consumable metal.
Regardless of the choice of engine type, its operation will require an impressive amount of fuel, which makes the spacecraft much heavier and requires more power from the same engine.
EmDrive engine - what is it and how does it work?
In 2001, the British engineer Roger Scheuer proposed new type electric motor, the principle of which is fundamentally different from the principle of operation of the engines listed above.
The design is a closed metal chamber (resonator) in the form of a truncated cone (something like a bucket with a lid), which has a certain reflectance of microwave radiation. The magnetron connected to the cone generates electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range, which enters the resonator and creates a so-called standing wave there. Due to the resonance, the vibrational energy of the microwaves increases.
As you know, light, or electromagnetic radiation, exerts pressure on the surface. Due to the narrowing of the chamber in one direction, the pressure of microwaves on the smaller base of the truncated cone is less than the pressure on the larger base. If we consider the chamber as a closed system, then the result of the effect described above will only be a load on the material of the chamber, and more on one of its sides. However, the creator of the EmDrive engine concept claims that this system is open due to top speed movement of electromagnetic radiation ("speed of light").
The physical principle of operation of such an engine is not fully understood. Roger Scheuer is convinced that the explanation of this technology is possible within the framework of the well-known Newtonian mechanics. Probably, due to the presence of the reflection coefficient of microwave radiation in the chamber, some small part of the radiation goes outside, beyond the resonator, which makes the system open. At the same time, the output of radiation from the side of the larger base of the truncated cone occurs to a greater extent due to the larger area of the base. Then the outgoing microwave radiation will be an analogue of the working fluid, which creates thrust that moves the spacecraft in the opposite direction from the emitted microwaves.
At the same time, NASA researchers suggest that the truth of the engine's operation lies much deeper, in quantum mechanics, in general relativity, according to which the system is open. Simplifying the theory as much as possible, we can say that particles can disappear and be born in a closed space-time loop.
The possibility of implementing the engine in a similar way was evaluated by several research organizations, including NASA.
Experimental results
Over the course of 15 years, many experiments have been carried out. And although the results of most of them confirmed the efficiency of the engine concept, the opinion of independent experts differed from the opinion of experimenters. main reason refutation of the results of experiments is the fact of incorrect formulation and implementation of the experiment.
Finally, the US space agency, which has sufficient resources to create an experiment capable of making a final verdict, took up research on the EmDrive engine. Namely, the NASA experimental laboratory - Eagleworks, where the prototype of the EmDrive engine was designed. The engine was placed in a vacuum, where any thermal convection was excluded, and it turned out that the prototype was indeed capable of delivering thrust. According to a recent NASA report, the lab has been able to obtain thrust having a power factor of 1.2±0.1 mN/kW. This figure is still significantly lower than the power of rocket engines used today, but about a hundred times higher than the power of photon engines and solar sails.
With the release of the report on the experiment, the experiment on the engine in terrestrial conditions is probably over. NASA plans to conduct further experiments on the EmDrive in space.
Application
Availability similar engine in the hands of mankind significantly expands the possibilities of space exploration. Starting relatively small - EmDrive, installed on the ISS, would significantly reduce the fuel reserves at the station. This would extend the life of the station, as well as significantly reduce cargo missions for the delivery of fuel. Consequently, funding for missions and maintenance of the station will be reduced.
If we consider an ordinary geostationary satellite on which it will be installed this engine, then the mass of the apparatus will decrease by more than two times. Similarly, the presence of EmDrive will affect the manned spacecraft, which will move noticeably faster.
If we still work on the engine power, then according to the calculations, the potential of EmDrive allows us to deliver six astronauts and some equipment, and then return to Earth in about 4 hours. Similarly, a flight to Mars, with similar technology, will take a couple of months. The flight to Pluto will take about two years. By the way, the New Horizons station took 9 years to do this.
Summing up, it should be noted that the EmDrive technology can significantly increase the speed of spacecraft, save on the operation of vehicles, as well as fuel. In addition, this engine allows mankind to carry out those space missions that have hitherto been at the limit of the possible.
