I always thought that the best way to test an impossible space drive, would be to place the test engine in the vacuum of space and turn it on. If it works then it works. We can figure out why it works later.

The problem is to test anything complex in space. It is at least 1000 times the cost compared to the surface of Earth. And, if you need an specialized item to test a different variable, you need to carry it from Earth to the Space Station, for example.

If thrust is produced from heat generated by the impossible device itself, imagine what a nice hot cup of tea at Milliways would do. ;-)

IMHO, EmDrive could easily really work & w/o requiring any new/exotic physics!
All photons (including MW) carryaway momentum (just like atom/molecules of any rocket fuel)!
What EmDrive really needs, to actually produce thrust, is just someone open a hole in the back, to let MW photons escape & so carryaway momentum!!!

@toni24: Yes! There is a lot in life that 'works'...where understanding why may not be found out in my life time.

I suspect Big Space had something to do with quashing this revolutionary propulsion system. Who funds these "scientists?" :P

Isn't anyone else sadden by the tone of this article. We need to keep testing because one day a so called impossible drive may work.

Duh.....Is anyone else on this string old enough to remember the Dean Space Drive System and gravitational-intertial radiation? EmDrive falls into the same category. Past concepts of this type have caused politicians to insist that government organizations study the effect, resulting in the dump of taxpayer dollars. Make it stop!

@FB36

Photon rockets are a solid idea, one that pops up frequently in sci fi. While technically not a reactionless drive, their ISP is literally the theoretical maximum for a rocket.

Problem is, you need A LOT of photons to produce any thrust. That kind of power output would make nuclear fusion look like a toy, and then one has to send all those photons out the back without annihilating the spaceship. The kind of exotic matter needed for such a design is barely even theorized yet.


Solar sails operate on a similar theory, but sunlight is so weak that an impossibly large and lightweight sail is needed to really get anywhere.

I spent 25 years working with electron beams. The Von Ardenne type gun produced a considerable amount of pressure exerted on the target material and relies on a high level of vacuum to operate. I would think a space based use would be ideal. It also needs DC current that might be supplied by a solar array. It produces a high energy stream of electrons that may provide thrust