Skip to main content

EmDrive Engine is Not Possible

In late 2016, NASA developed a rocket engine that could potentially bring humans into deep space. This engine was known as the EmDrive (pictured below).

So why is this engine so important and revolutionary? Well, it lies in the fact that scientists managed to find a way to create thrust out of just about nothing. This denies the universal law of conservation of momentum because without any velocity thrust is not possible. Thrust is the physical manifestation of momentum being transferred from a rocket engine to the rocket itself and can be modeled by the equation... 

Image result for law of conservation of momentum equation
As seen above, without any initial velocity momentum cannot be transferred and final velocity cannot be obtained. According to various studies done independently, the EmDrive did generate some thrust, however, there is no definite proof whether the engine truly creates thrust. It is believed that the science behind the EmDrive is based on the Pilot Wave Theory, or the idea that particles can push off of the vacuum of space. This would make sense as many of the experiments performed with the EmDrive were done in a simulated vacuum. 

Yet, as of late, it has been proven that the EmDrive is not the future of space exploration. Two years after the invention of the engine, it has been discovered that the EmDrive would have to completely defy the laws of physics in order to function properly. It has been realized that the "thrust" generated by the engine has been a result of interference due to the Earth's electromagnetic field, and that is why a phantom thrust was formed. 

On the bright side, it is not entirely unfeasible for the EmDrive to one day work correctly, and to provide a propellantless engine is possible. In the future, tests will be conducted in a box coated in Mu-metal, which acts as a shield to the effects of the Earth's magnetic field. Luckily for us, the propulsion systems seen in movies such as Star Wars could one day be a reality. 

Sources: 
https://www.geek.com/news/impossible-space-engine-is-actually-impossible-1740847/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325177082_The_SpaceDrive_Project_-_First_Results_on_EMDrive_and_Mach-Effect_Thrusters
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/nasa-emdrive-impossible-physics-independent-tests-magnetic-space-science/?beta=true
https://www.geek.com/tech/nasa-made-an-emdrive-and-it-works-but-we-still-dont-know-why-1681145/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Physics of Black Holes...Or Lack Thereof

Isabella Jacavone To comprehend how the universe works, we must dwell into the most basic building blocks of existence; matter, energy, space, and time. NASA's  Physics of the Cosmos program involves cosmology, astrophysics, and fundamental physics intended to answer questions about the elusiveness of complex concepts such as black holes, neutron stars, dark energy, and gravitational waves. In this blog post, I'd like to elaborate on a subject that is very intriguing  to me; Black holes. And more specifically, what would happen if we got near one. A black hole is anything but a hole, but rather an immense amount of matter compacted into an extremely small area. A black hole is caused when, hypothetically, a star four times more massive than our sun collapses into a sphere no bigger than 600 square km. To put that in perspective, that's about the size of New York City. B lack holes were predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, which showed that when a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Physics of Sound Dampeners and Active Noise Cancellation

Physics of Sound Dampeners and Active Noise Cancellation Sound dampening foam panels in a recording studio. ANC headphones worn by pilots and/or passengers in consumer aviation aircraft.  Acoustic treatment of soundscapes has grown alongside the sound production industry. Whether through absorption panels, diffusors and cloud panels to treat a space or headphones placed directly over the ears of listeners, acoustic treatment comes in many forms. Environments are treated acoustically to absorb excess sound to prevent sound levels from crossing a threshold above which the desired goal cannot be had. Before getting into sound dampening, we must discuss sound. Sound is produced when an object vibrates (a form of oscillation) and temporarily displaces nearby air molecules causing a wave effect as the displaced molecules collide with their neighboring molecules. Sound waves are fluctuations in pressure as the initial displacement of molecules experiences collisions that in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Physics Behind Paper Airplanes

For years, people have been constructing paper airplanes. With almost endless possibilities on how to fold the plane, how should one decide on what folds are going to make his or her plane fly the farthest? Well, a paper airplane's flight is dependent on 4 major factors: thrust, drag, lift, and gravity. - The thrust a paper airplane has is dependent on the throw. Thrust is the initial force that the thrower applies to the paper airplane. Even the best of paper airplanes has no chance of going anywhere if the throw is horrible. - The drag is the air equivalent to friction. Drag is the air that pushes on the plane as it is flying, slowing it down. Drag is affected my the surface area of the plane. A plane that is larger will have more drag affecting it and pushing back on it harder. - The lift component of a paper airplanes flight deals entirely with the plane's wings. Air moving over and under the plane's wings provides un upward lift force, keeping the plane in the ...
Post a Comment
Read more