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#11
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Mach Thruster Update.
On Sep/7/2020 at 11:05, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote :
wrote in message ... Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel: "Woodward’s MEGA drive is different. Instead of propellant, it relies on electricity, which in space would come from solar panels or a nuclear reactor. His insight was to use a stack of piezoelectric crystals and some controversial—but he believes plausible—physics to generate thrust. The stack of crystals, which store tiny amounts of energy, vibrates tens of thousands of times per second when zapped with electric current. Some of the vibrational frequencies harmonize as they roll through the device, and when the oscillations sync up in just the right way, the small drive lurches forward." See: https://www.wired.com/story/mach-eff...tellar-travel/ What are the odds of this actually working? https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ic-propulsion/ is where I first read about this. (paywalled sorry). This is one of those, "I HIGHLY doubt it'll work, but it's just close enough to the edge of physics as we know it, it's probably worth some cautious funding." I think it's sort of like the proposed Alcubierre warp drive, unlikely to actually work or be practical, but worth some investigation "just in case". I wouldn't put the Alcubierre warp drive in the same category. I think one could build a working Alcubierre warp drive if one had a suitable source negative mass exotic matter. Their is some uncertainty, but the physics behind Alcubierre drive have a reasonable chance of being correct. Of course finding the source of exotic matter is a problem :-) Woodward's MEGA drive (and calmagorod's PNN) are on an opposite track. They have all the hardware to build their gizmos, but they don't seem to have the physics on their side. Alain Fournier |
#12
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Mach Thruster Update.
On 9/7/20 6:49 PM, Alain Fournier wrote:
On Sep/7/2020 at 11:05, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote : wrote in message ... Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel: "Woodward’s MEGA drive is different. Instead of propellant, it relies on electricity, which in space would come from solar panels or a nuclear reactor. His insight was to use a stack of piezoelectric crystals and some controversial—but he believes plausible—physics to generate thrust. The stack of crystals, which store tiny amounts of energy, vibrates tens of thousands of times per second when zapped with electric current. Some of the vibrational frequencies harmonize as they roll through the device, and when the oscillations sync up in just the right way, the small drive lurches forward." See: https://www.wired.com/story/mach-eff...tellar-travel/ What are the odds of this actually working? https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ic-propulsion/ is where I first read about this. (paywalled sorry). This is one of those, "I HIGHLY doubt it'll work, but it's just close enough to the edge of physics as we know it, it's probably worth some cautious funding." I think it's sort of like the proposed Alcubierre warp drive, unlikely to actually work or be practical, but worth some investigation "just in case". I wouldn't put the Alcubierre warp drive in the same category. I think one could build a working Alcubierre warp drive if one had a suitable source negative mass exotic matter. Their is some uncertainty, but the physics behind Alcubierre drive have a reasonable chance of being correct. Of course finding the source of exotic matter is a problem :-) Woodward's MEGA drive (and calmagorod's PNN) are on an opposite track. They have all the hardware to build their gizmos, but they don't seem to have the physics on their side. Alain Fournier then you don't know physics. |
#13
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Mach Thruster Update.
"Alain Fournier" wrote in message ...
On Sep/7/2020 at 11:05, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote : wrote in message ... Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel: "Woodward’s MEGA drive is different. Instead of propellant, it relies on electricity, which in space would come from solar panels or a nuclear reactor. His insight was to use a stack of piezoelectric crystals and some controversial—but he believes plausible—physics to generate thrust. The stack of crystals, which store tiny amounts of energy, vibrates tens of thousands of times per second when zapped with electric current. Some of the vibrational frequencies harmonize as they roll through the device, and when the oscillations sync up in just the right way, the small drive lurches forward." See: https://www.wired.com/story/mach-eff...tellar-travel/ What are the odds of this actually working? https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ic-propulsion/ is where I first read about this. (paywalled sorry). This is one of those, "I HIGHLY doubt it'll work, but it's just close enough to the edge of physics as we know it, it's probably worth some cautious funding." I think it's sort of like the proposed Alcubierre warp drive, unlikely to actually work or be practical, but worth some investigation "just in case". I wouldn't put the Alcubierre warp drive in the same category. I think one could build a working Alcubierre warp drive if one had a suitable source negative mass exotic matter. Their is some uncertainty, but the physics behind Alcubierre drive have a reasonable chance of being correct. Of course finding the source of exotic matter is a problem :-) Woodward's MEGA drive (and calmagorod's PNN) are on an opposite track. They have all the hardware to build their gizmos, but they don't seem to have the physics on their side. I disagree a bit, but let me explain why. As you say, basically we COULD build Alcubierre's drive if we had something that appears to be mythical. But remember, his first design required something like a negative mass greater than the mass of the known universe. Later designs reduced it to 3 solar masses. Now they're down to (depending on assumptions) a few milligrams to a few hundred kilograms. My point is, as we do more research, we actually get closer to a buildable design. That said, I'll admit, Woodward's MEGA drive does seem to have the opposite problem, it appears we can physically build it, but the physics may not work. In either case, I'm ok with throwing some money at both "just in case". Alain Fournier -- Greg D. Moore http://greenmountainsoftware.wordpress.com/ CEO QuiCR: Quick, Crowdsourced Responses. http://www.quicr.net IT Disaster Response - https://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Resp...dp/1484221834/ |
#14
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Mach Thruster Update.
On Sep/7/2020 at 19:41, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote :
"Alain Fournier"Â* wrote in message ... On Sep/7/2020 at 11:05, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote : wrote in message ... Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel: "Woodward’s MEGA drive is different. Instead of propellant, it relies on electricity, which in space would come from solar panels or a nuclear reactor. His insight was to use a stack of piezoelectric crystals and some controversial—but he believes plausible—physics to generate thrust. The stack of crystals, which store tiny amounts of energy, vibrates tens of thousands of times per second when zapped with electric current. Some of the vibrational frequencies harmonize as they roll through the device, and when the oscillations sync up in just the right way, the small drive lurches forward." See: https://www.wired.com/story/mach-eff...tellar-travel/ What are the odds of this actually working? https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ic-propulsion/ is where I first read about this. (paywalled sorry). This is one of those, "I HIGHLY doubt it'll work, but it's just close enough to the edge of physics as we know it, it's probably worth some cautious funding." I think it's sort of like the proposed Alcubierre warp drive, unlikely to actually work or be practical, but worth some investigation "just in case". I wouldn't put the Alcubierre warp drive in the same category. I think one could build a working Alcubierre warp drive if one had a suitable source negative mass exotic matter. Their is some uncertainty, but the physics behind Alcubierre drive have a reasonable chance of being correct. Of course finding the source of exotic matter is a problem :-) Woodward's MEGA drive (and calmagorod's PNN) are on an opposite track. They have all the hardware to build their gizmos, but they don't seem to have the physics on their side. I disagree a bit, but let me explain why. As you say, basically we COULD build Alcubierre's drive if we had something that appears to be mythical. But remember, his first design required something like a negative mass greater than the mass of the known universe. Later designs reduced it to 3 solar masses. Now they're down to (depending on assumptions) a few milligrams to a few hundred kilograms. My point is, as we do more research, we actually get closer to a buildable design. Are we really closer to having a few milligrams of pixie dust than we are to having 10^62 kg of pixie dust? :-) That said, I'll admit, Woodward's MEGA drive does seem to have the opposite problem, it appears we can physically build it, but the physics may not work. In either case, I'm ok with throwing some money at both "just in case". So am I, not too much money but some money yes. And what I wrote just before this paragraph might not show it, but I favour much more throwing money at Alcubierre's drive than throwing some at Woodward's MEGA drive. Even if Alcubierre's drive is never built, it is very interesting to know that a few negative milligrams of exotic matter would be enough to transport an atom faster than light. About throwing money at Alcubierre's drive, I wouldn't throw a tonne of money at it, but if I could, I certainly would throw a negative tonne of money at it :-) Alain Fournier |
#15
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Mach Thruster Update.
It's being built to test the EmDrive, but it might be useful for testing the Mach Thruster too:
"The resolution lies in designing a tool that can measure these minuscule amounts of thrust. So a team of physicists at Germany’s Technische Universität Dresden set out to create a device that would fill this need. Led by physicist Martin Tajmar, the SpaceDrive project aims to create an instrument so sensitive and immune to interference that it would put an end to the debate once and for all. In October, Tajmar and his team presented their second set of experimental EmDrive measurements at the International Astronautical Congress, and their results will be published in Acta Astronautica this August. Based on the results of these experiments, Tajmar says a resolution to the EmDrive saga may only be a few months away." See: https://www.wired.com/story/a-mythic...s-a-real-test/ |
#17
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Mach Thruster Update.
In article ,
says... Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel: "Woodward?s MEGA drive is different. Instead of propellant, it relies on electricity, which in space would come from solar panels or a nuclear reactor. His insight was to use a stack of piezoelectric crystals and some controversial?but he believes plausible?physics to generate thrust. The stack of crystals, which store tiny amounts of energy, vibrates tens of thousands of times per second when zapped with electric current. Some of the vibrational frequencies harmonize as they roll through the device, and when the oscillations sync up in just the right way, the small drive lurches forward." See: https://www.wired.com/story/mach-eff...tellar-travel/ What are the odds of this actually working? Zip. Zero. Nada. Jeff -- All opinions posted by me on Usenet News are mine, and mine alone. These posts do not reflect the opinions of my family, friends, employer, or any organization that I am a member of. |
#18
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Mach Thruster Update.
"Alain Fournier" wrote in message ...
On Sep/7/2020 at 19:41, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote : "Alain Fournier" wrote in message ... On Sep/7/2020 at 11:05, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote : wrote in message ... Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel: "Woodward’s MEGA drive is different. Instead of propellant, it relies on electricity, which in space would come from solar panels or a nuclear reactor. His insight was to use a stack of piezoelectric crystals and some controversial—but he believes plausible—physics to generate thrust. The stack of crystals, which store tiny amounts of energy, vibrates tens of thousands of times per second when zapped with electric current. Some of the vibrational frequencies harmonize as they roll through the device, and when the oscillations sync up in just the right way, the small drive lurches forward." See: https://www.wired.com/story/mach-eff...tellar-travel/ What are the odds of this actually working? https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ic-propulsion/ is where I first read about this. (paywalled sorry). This is one of those, "I HIGHLY doubt it'll work, but it's just close enough to the edge of physics as we know it, it's probably worth some cautious funding." I think it's sort of like the proposed Alcubierre warp drive, unlikely to actually work or be practical, but worth some investigation "just in case". I wouldn't put the Alcubierre warp drive in the same category. I think one could build a working Alcubierre warp drive if one had a suitable source negative mass exotic matter. Their is some uncertainty, but the physics behind Alcubierre drive have a reasonable chance of being correct. Of course finding the source of exotic matter is a problem :-) Woodward's MEGA drive (and calmagorod's PNN) are on an opposite track. They have all the hardware to build their gizmos, but they don't seem to have the physics on their side. I disagree a bit, but let me explain why. As you say, basically we COULD build Alcubierre's drive if we had something that appears to be mythical. But remember, his first design required something like a negative mass greater than the mass of the known universe. Later designs reduced it to 3 solar masses. Now they're down to (depending on assumptions) a few milligrams to a few hundred kilograms. My point is, as we do more research, we actually get closer to a buildable design. Are we really closer to having a few milligrams of pixie dust than we are to having 10^62 kg of pixie dust? :-) No, but we're probably closer to finding a way of "oh look if we manipulate it this way, we actually just need a few milligrams of antimater" or something that actually is known to exist :-) That said, I'll admit, Woodward's MEGA drive does seem to have the opposite problem, it appears we can physically build it, but the physics may not work. In either case, I'm ok with throwing some money at both "just in case". So am I, not too much money but some money yes. And what I wrote just before this paragraph might not show it, but I favour much more throwing money at Alcubierre's drive than throwing some at Woodward's MEGA drive. Even if Alcubierre's drive is never built, it is very interesting to know that a few negative milligrams of exotic matter would be enough to transport an atom faster than light. About throwing money at Alcubierre's drive, I wouldn't throw a tonne of money at it, but if I could, I certainly would throw a negative tonne of money at it :-) Of course what's really happening is that Alcubierre's inventing Warp Drive and Woodward is inventing Impulse Drive. So we're really just one step from the USS Phoenix :-) Alain Fournier -- Greg D. Moore http://greenmountainsoftware.wordpress.com/ CEO QuiCR: Quick, Crowdsourced Responses. http://www.quicr.net IT Disaster Response - https://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Resp...dp/1484221834/ |
#19
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Mach Thruster Update.
On Sep/8/2020 at 07:53, Jeff Findley wrote :
In article , says... Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel: "Woodward?s MEGA drive is different. Instead of propellant, it relies on electricity, which in space would come from solar panels or a nuclear reactor. His insight was to use a stack of piezoelectric crystals and some controversial?but he believes plausible?physics to generate thrust. The stack of crystals, which store tiny amounts of energy, vibrates tens of thousands of times per second when zapped with electric current. Some of the vibrational frequencies harmonize as they roll through the device, and when the oscillations sync up in just the right way, the small drive lurches forward." See: https://www.wired.com/story/mach-eff...tellar-travel/ What are the odds of this actually working? Zip. Zero. Nada. Zero? You are way too pessimistic here. I would say the odds are at least 10 times better than that :-) Seriously I would put the odds at about .01%. It wouldn't be the first time that science orthodoxy would be flipped over. Alain Fournier |
#20
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Mach Thruster Update.
On Sep/8/2020 at 10:23, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote :
Of course what's really happening is that Alcubierre's inventing Warp Drive and Woodward is inventing Impulse Drive. So we're really just one step from the USS Phoenix :-) I'm not sure for Woodward, but if that is what Alcubierre's doing he is sure to fail. The warp drive will be invented by Zefram Cochrane in 2063, you can't change historical facts, it would be against the Temporal Prime Directive. Alain Fournier |
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