Captain Kirk called it impulse drive. Larry Niven's stories called it a reactionless thruster. A device that makes thrust without throwing propellant out the rocket nozzle. Pure science fiction. Until Aviation Week ran a story this week about the "Emdrive".
It started back in 2001 when a British inventor named Roger Shawyer set up a company to develop the drive aided by a grant from the British government. Needless to say, a number of people denounced the concept as quackery. Shawyer built a prototype that produced 85 milli newtons (1/4 ounce) of thrust from an input 300 watts of microwave power. A Chinese research group claimed an improved model developed 720 milli newtons (2.5 ounces) of thrust from 2.5 KW of input microwave power.
Boeing's "Phantom Works" took a look at the device some years ago, but is no longer pursuing the approach and Shawyer's government funding has gone away.
If it works, it's pure science fiction, and the door to interplanetary space craft. Aviation Week is a sober industry magazine.
Except for now and then. Aviation Week ran a story about a secret US project that built a single stage ground to orbit space craft on their cover some ten years ago.
Very Interesting. Believe as much as you like.
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