Errymath: space-aircraft

Earth 360°: Documentary about space exploration

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<img alt="RT's 360 spacewalk snatches Shorty award for best use of virtual reality" class="media__item " src="https://cdni.rt.com/files/2018.03/article/5abb2163dda4c857658b45e6.png" /><br />
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The first-ever panoramic video filmed in outer space, produced 
by RT in collaboration with Russian cosmonauts, has won a prestigious 
prize for the best use of virtual reality at the annual Shorty Awards 
2018.

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The most immersive way to experience a spacewalk, short of going on one yourself, is the <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shortyawards.com/10th/spacewalk-360" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video</a></span>
 that captures a breathtaking view of the planet Earth, complete with 
swirling clouds and blue seas, contrasted against the blackness of 
space. The two cosmonauts outside the International Space Station are 
not there to simply chill out either – you can witness them hard at 
work, performing maintenance on equipment outside the hull. They also 
launch miniature satellites – by hand – to take measurements in 
low-Earth orbit.<br />
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Check out our 360° video on your mobile device, opening it 
with the YouTube or Facebook app.<br />
The RT360 app is also available for 
download<b> (<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ru/app/rt-360/id1064016992" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rt.RT360" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Android</a>).</span></b><br />
RT
 produced its video in collaboration with the Russian space agency and 
RSC Energia. It initially premiered in early October 2017, during a 
special event at a VR theater at Moscow’s Museum of Cosmonautics, 
commemorating the launch of Sputnik-1, the first artificial satellite of
 Earth. Numerous other 360 videos – from breathtaking nature, to 
thunderous military parades, to the unique project Revolution in 360 – 
are available in the <a href="https://www.rt.com/360/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">collection</a>.<br />
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<iframe __idm_id__="81753089" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="457" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YFOaPza6UNc" width="660"></iframe>

Earth 360°: Documentary about space exploration

The first-ever panoramic video filmed in outer space, produced by RT in collaboration with Russian cosmonauts, has won a prestigious p...

Hypersonic SR-72 spyplane demo spotted

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FeqlMi-GHEgp5xn1ZxRAlGWWYyFzOmGQLGaTCC372WIUCRjQG83oGKJStJapCGDJFlzFEtaud8MhQvhyphenhyphenQ9iC1JjuiSLr75s5NONpftOmpwrYWfmN_kM6btjfy5auDl4VEuEQ81eVVl4/s1600/CGHP5P5VAAAVKEV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FeqlMi-GHEgp5xn1ZxRAlGWWYyFzOmGQLGaTCC372WIUCRjQG83oGKJStJapCGDJFlzFEtaud8MhQvhyphenhyphenQ9iC1JjuiSLr75s5NONpftOmpwrYWfmN_kM6btjfy5auDl4VEuEQ81eVVl4/s640/CGHP5P5VAAAVKEV.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/news/a28420/hypersonic-sr-72-demonstrator-reportedly-spotted-at-skunk-works/" target="blank">A subscale demonstrator of the SR-72 hypersonic spyplane was reportedly spied at Lockheed’s facilities in California.</a><br />
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A proposed hypersonic reconnaissance and strike aircraft, the SR-72 
would serve as a replacement for the famed SR-71 Blackbird, which was 
retired by the Air Force back in 1998. The SR-71 Blackbird could fly at 
2200 mph (over 3 times the speed of sound).<br />
<br />
Lockheed has said they are working on a combined-cycle engine. It 
uses both a turbine and a scramjet to achieve hypersonic speeds. 
Lockheed Martin is testing Aerojet Rocketdyne from 2013 to 2017. Two 
combined-cycle engines are planned to power the SR-72, which is designed
 to be about the same size of the SR-71 and could achieve first flight 
in the late 2020s.<br />
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<img alt="" data-aria-label-part="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DK6CzskUMAEAH1m.jpg" style="top: -0px; width: 100%;" /><br />
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An optionally piloted flight research vehicle (FRV) is also in the 
works to flight test elements of the SR-72 design. The FRV will be about
 the size of an F-22 and use a single combined-cycle engine for 
propulsion. Development of the FRV is expected to begin next year and 
first flights could occur as soon as 2020. Leading up to the FRV, 
Lockheed could be conducting ground and flight tests on even smaller 
demonstrators.<br />
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<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-137289" height="431" src="https://www.nextbigfuture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/6f3a902dc620b0f33f219aeb11a127de.jpg?x71037" width="700" /><br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hypersonic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hypersonic</a> SR-72 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/spyplane?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#spyplane</a> demo spotted<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aerospace?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Aerospace</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/scramjet?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#scramjet</a>  <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/6XSoundSpeed?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#6XSoundSpeed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LockheedMartin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LockheedMartin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aerojet?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Aerojet</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rocketdyne?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rocketdyne</a>  <a href="https://t.co/sPkAK0VxyM">https://t.co/sPkAK0VxyM</a></div>
— Hugo Ángel (@hangel) <a href="https://twitter.com/hangel/status/913867111361073153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Hypersonic SR-72 spyplane demo spotted <a href="https://t.co/Y2b6bca3wY">https://t.co/Y2b6bca3wY</a> <a href="https://t.co/jWrn38J3Eh">pic.twitter.com/jWrn38J3Eh</a></div>
— nextbigfuture (@nextbigfuture) <a href="https://twitter.com/nextbigfuture/status/913811601404432384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Hypersonic SR-72 spyplane demo spotted

A subscale demonstrator of the SR-72 hypersonic spyplane was reportedly spied at Lockheed’s facilities in California. A proposed hyper...

360-view video: First-ever panoramic view of Earth from aboard Intl Space Station

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<div class="article__summary summary ">
Next month RT will show the first-ever panoramic video shot in 
open space by the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), sharing
 an actual spacewalk experience with an unparalleled level of immersion. </div>
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<i>“The first-ever panoramic video from open space is a revolution both for VR technology and for exploration of the universe,”</i> said Eduard Chizhikov, the head of RT’s <a href="https://space360.rt.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Space 360 project</a>. <i>“Thanks
 to the project any person on Earth may feel what being in space is like
 right at home. Our video offers an opportunity to get closer to the 
infinite.”</i><br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D0%92%D0%9A%D0%9443?src=hash">#ВКД43</a>: «Космическая прогулка» российских космонавтов Фёдора Юрчихина и Сергея Рязанского, записанная на GoPro-камеру <a href="https://t.co/xX59aMf0pj">pic.twitter.com/xX59aMf0pj</a></div>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/905866983782191105">September 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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В Архангельской области расчетом ВКС проведен успешный пуск ракеты-носителя «Союз-2»<a href="https://t.co/LYyc0AzGSM">https://t.co/LYyc0AzGSM</a> <a href="https://t.co/Rp5ihL78D4">pic.twitter.com/Rp5ihL78D4</a></div>
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) <a href="https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/911126012058046464">September 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The video was produced in collaboration with the 
Russian space agency and leading spacecraft producer Energia. It will 
premiere on October 3 during a special event at a VR theater at Moscow’s
 Museum of Cosmonautics commemorating the launch of Sputnik-1, the first
 artificial satellite of Earth, in 1957.<br />
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<img alt="Photo published for Spacetacular: RT to show world’s first 360-view video shot in open space — RT News" class="u-block" data-src="https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/911209304891510785/HsIPHLjA?format=jpg&name=600x314" height="334" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/911209304891510785/HsIPHLjA?format=jpg&name=600x314" width="640" /><br />
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Roscosmos / Instagram<br />
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Cosmonauts Sergey Ryazansky, who is currently on board the ISS, will 
tell the audience via a direct link how he shot the panoramic video 
during a spacewalk he conducted with Fedor Yurchikhin in August.<br />
<br />
RT was the first producer of 360-view video content to shoot footage 
in space. The first clip shot on the ISS was published in November 2016 
and was followed by six more. Cosmos 360 videos won international 
praise, with astronaut Terry Virts saying that watching it was like 
being back on the station.<br />
RT
 is a leading producer of panoramic content, with over 130 videos made 
since 2015, when it joined the market. The video library is available 
through RT’s Facebook and YouTube pages as well as mobile apps.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%81360?src=hash">#Космос360</a>: 3 октября состоится презентация первого в истории панорамного видео, снятого в открытом космосе <a href="https://t.co/ZsYrly2VcH">https://t.co/ZsYrly2VcH</a> <a href="https://t.co/vkYQ77AWLw">pic.twitter.com/vkYQ77AWLw</a></div>
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/roscosmos/status/911223777014501386">September 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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360-view video: First-ever panoramic view of Earth from aboard Intl Space Station

Next month RT will show the first-ever panoramic video shot in open space by the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), shari...

Boeing - X-37B ISR/Strike Unmanned Hypersonic Space Fighter [1080p]

Defense Ministry reveals new and future military technology Tianzhou-1 automated fast-docking with Tiangong-2

Plasma jet engine breakthrough heralds beginning of new era in space travel

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NXLNshbaqEA_WLu00n4_NmIVutfjX8X6GfIK2Zn3hs5QyTPAMZbpXxrVik65f5ycpGZj2RmlDeXEY-u2Kl-mufE3exNNOcrCBmcM3XpNjyxM5UiOJu5gtencar8vMY3loKu2AULAseE/s1600/59203601c46188f1598b45b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NXLNshbaqEA_WLu00n4_NmIVutfjX8X6GfIK2Zn3hs5QyTPAMZbpXxrVik65f5ycpGZj2RmlDeXEY-u2Kl-mufE3exNNOcrCBmcM3XpNjyxM5UiOJu5gtencar8vMY3loKu2AULAseE/s640/59203601c46188f1598b45b9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
    Photo of transient atmospheric nanosecond pulse discharges for internal MPC excitation. 
      
                iopscience.iop.org  <br />
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<div class="article__summary summary ">
A major new breakthrough in jet propulsion technology could 
revolutionize the aerospace industry, paving the way for plasma jet 
engines that could carry a craft to the edge of space using only air and
 electricity. </div>
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Berkant
 Göksel, the lead researcher in a new study by the Technical University 
of Berlin, says his team have <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431264-500-plasma-jet-engines-that-could-take-you-from-the-ground-to-space/" target="_blank">successfully completed tests on plasma engines that could take future aircrafts to altitudes of 30 miles (50km) and beyond</a>.<br />
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<span class="read-more__footer"></span> The challenge was to develop an air-breathing plasma propulsion engine 
that could be used for take-off as well as high-altitude flying.</div>
<div class="arcticle__read-more read-more">
<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431264-500-plasma-jet-engines-that-could-take-you-from-the-ground-to-space/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&cmpid=SOC%7CNSNS%7C2017-Echobox&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1495056249" target="blank">We
 are the first to produce fast and powerful plasma jets at ground 
level,” says Göksel. “These jets of plasma can reach speeds of up to 20 
kilometres a second.</a><br />
  </div>
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The team used a rapid stream of nanosecond-long electric discharges 
to fire up the propulsion mixture. A similar technique is used in pulse 
detonation combustion engines, making them more efficient than standard 
fuel-powered engines.<br />
<br />
* Plasma propulsion was proved on an airship in 2005<br />
* this is a pathway to far more powerful and effective plasma propulsion<br />
* this could enable propulsion beyond the height of existing planes<br />
* nearterm it could be for routine airships at 50-100 km<br />
* it could eventually be used to get to orbit and transform aviation and space access</div>
<br />
While studies into plasma jet engines has largely focused on 
their ability to manoeuvre small satellites in the vacuum of space, 
Göksel told the<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431264-500-plasma-jet-engines-that-could-take-you-from-the-ground-to-space/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&campaign_id=RSS%7CNSNS-"> New Scientist</a> that his research concentrated on testing the engine in a normal atmosphere.<br />
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It’s the first time anyone has applied pulse detonation to plasma 
thrusters. Jason Cassibry at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is 
impressed. “It could greatly extend the range of any aircraft and lower 
the operational cost,” he says.<br />
<br />
But there are several hurdles to overcome before the technology can 
propel an actual plane. For a start, the team tested mini thrusters 80 
millimetres long, and a commercial airliner would need some 10,000 of 
them to fly, which makes the current design too complex for aircraft of 
that size. Göksel’s team plans to target smaller planes and airships for
 now. Between 100 and 1000 thrusters would be enough for a small plane, 
which the team thinks is feasible.<br />
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<img alt="" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-133244" height="164" src="http://www.nextbigfuture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2da9fa211c6b4e07e43151994090685f-300x123.png?x71037" width="400" /> <br />
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<img alt="" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-133245" height="245" src="http://www.nextbigfuture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/9a33db93a73b08f4e572ef6c47c1f8eb-300x184.png?x71037" width="400" /><br />
<br />
A real flight demonstration is the next milestone goal for the project.<br />
The
 team used 80mm-long mini-thrusters in their experiments – 10,000 of 
which would be needed to support a commercial airliner. However, Göksel 
believes the team could test their work on a small plane using between 
100 and 1,000 thrusters.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-133243" height="171" src="http://www.nextbigfuture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/8596b8f6f2f061e3e75885d5ee60845c-300x129.png?x71037" width="400" /><br />
<br />
Plans are underway to develop a mobile power generator for use in the first flight demonstration onboard the <a href="https://www.festo.com/net/SupportPortal/Files/344798/b_IONIC_Airfish_en.pdf">b-Ionic Airfish</a>. In 2005, the craft became the world’s first airship to be propelled by plasma engines.<br />
 It
 is hoped this experiment helps overcome the project’s major obstacle, 
which is the huge amount of electricity required to generate and sustain
 the plasma.<br />
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<img alt="Plasma jet engine breakthrough heralds beginning of new era in space travel - study" class="media__item " height="355" src="https://cdn.rt.com/files/2017.05/original/592029ecc36188064d8b4597.jpg" width="640" /><br />
b-Ionic Airfish.
iopscience.iop.org<br />
<br />
<i>“An
 array of thrusters would require a small electrical power plant, which 
would be impossible to mount on an aircraft with today’s technology,”</i>  Dan Lev from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology told the New Scientist.<br />
Göksel is hopeful of working around this with solar panels or potentially beaming power wirelessly to the engines.<br />
<br />
<img alt="© SolarStratos" class="read-more__cover" src="https://img.rt.com/files/2017.05/thumbnail/590ca6d9c46188e57e8b45b4.jpg" /><br />
<span class="read-more__footer">Sun-powered ‘space plane’ </span><br />
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Plasma jet engine breakthrough heralds beginning of new era in space travel

Photo of transient atmospheric nanosecond pulse discharges for internal MPC excitation. iopscience.iop.org ...

Sun-powered ‘space plane’ completes first test flight en route to stratosphere

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<div class="article__summary summary ">
A solar plane tipped to one day soar to the edge of space has 
successfully completed its maiden flight, showing off its impressive 
wingspan during a test run in Switzerland.

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With
 wings measuring 24.9 meters (82ft), the SolarStratos aircraft aims to 
observe the curvature of the earth and fly at an altitude of around 
23,000 meters.<br />
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<img alt="Sun-powered ‘space plane’ completes first test flight en route to stratosphere (PHOTOS,VIDEO)" class="media__item " src="https://cdn.rt.com/files/2017.05/original/590ca6d9c46188e57e8b45b4.jpg" /><br />
SolarStratos

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<br />
The brainchild of pilot Raphael Domjan, the solar powered plane took 
off from an airfield in Payerne, Switzerland, on Friday morning.<br />
Flown by test pilot Damian Hischier, the aircraft reached a height of around 304 meters in what was its first ever flight, <a href="https://www.afp.com/en/news/2265/stratospheric-solar-plane-makes-first-test-flight">AFP</a> reports.<br />
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The project <a href="https://twitter.com/SolarStratos">@SolarStratos</a> took to the air for the first time this morning in Payerne, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Switzerland?src=hash">#Switzerland</a>! 🛩☀️🇨🇭 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SolarStratos?src=hash">#SolarStratos</a> <a href="https://t.co/lxdtvA6LsZ">pic.twitter.com/lxdtvA6LsZ</a></div>
— House of Switzerland (@HofSwitzerland) <a href="https://twitter.com/HofSwitzerland/status/860426855828127745">May 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

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Swiss solar plane completes its first test flight <a href="https://t.co/JqjL5yUrhl">https://t.co/JqjL5yUrhl</a> <a href="https://t.co/FR3Lmnpp2F">pic.twitter.com/FR3Lmnpp2F</a></div>
— Popular Mechanics (@PopMech) <a href="https://twitter.com/PopMech/status/860525445921550336">May 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

A statement by the plane’s designers described the anxiety before take-off and the utter joy of realizing that<i> “SolarStratos flies”</i>.<br />
<a href="https://www.rt.com/news/353266-solar-impulse-flight-complete/"><b><br /></b></a>
<i>“The
 plane rolled faster and faster, while our heartbeats accelerated to a 
crisis. And there, all of a sudden, the wheels left the track. Ultimate 
adrenaline rush, followed by a moment of incredulity and the explosion 
of joy,”</i> the statement reads.<br />
<i>“With this step completed, 
we can look forward to the next adventures with peace of mind. Of 
course, the road to flying at very high altitude is long, but we are 
confident of getting there.”</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="Photo published for First Test Flight Of Stratospheric Solar Plane Takes Place In Switzerland" class="u-block" data-src="https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/860578644678266881/us46MbBY?format=jpg&name=600x314" height="332" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/860578644678266881/us46MbBY?format=jpg&name=600x314" width="640" /> <br />
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<img alt="" data-aria-label-part="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C_EOKKqXYAMPCfp.jpg" style="top: -0px; width: 100%;" /><br />
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<img alt="" data-aria-label-part="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C_FF--tXcAEoWk0.jpg" style="top: 0px; width: 100%;" /><br />
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<img alt="" data-aria-label-part="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C_EQlplVwAAud6u.jpg" style="top: -0px; width: 100%;" /><br />
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Domjan told AFP that the ultimate goal of SolarStratos is to show 
people that “it is possible to go beyond what fossil fuels offer.”<br />
In
 the future, the eco-adventure company hope to be able to open up 
stratospheric flights to the public, which will require passengers to 
don an astronaut’s suit and helmet due to the fact that the lightweight 
aircraft is not pressurized.<br />
<b><br /></b>
Swiss
 entrepreneur Bertrand Piccard, who is also pursuing clean energy 
aviation with the Solar Impulse solar plane, paid tribute to 
SolarStratos online.<br />
Piccard’s Solar Impulse 2 aircraft touched down in Dubai last year to complete a round-the-world trip without using a single drop of fuel.<br />
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Stratospheric solar plane makes first test flight in Switzerland <a href="https://t.co/29oMkGPPN9">https://t.co/29oMkGPPN9</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/solarstratos?src=hash">#solarstratos</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZD2vDjKO3Q">pic.twitter.com/ZD2vDjKO3Q</a></div>
— AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/860480703426899970">May 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Sun-powered ‘space plane’ completes first test flight en route to stratosphere

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US Air Force's X-37B space plane reaches 600 days in orbit - and its mission STILL remains a mystery

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrHXUr0l63X25GU0sqi1yjogC2IAMMvBvU03Nbkjw2uJm3HSg5Gj89hwyQxTam5ys5QsWpOOW6jpDNt8NsfaMNG6oV8KrhMuXM8oPUTvWse7iF_iZDVSSMZIJYmpMAlVlybaVDaeZL4Y/s1600/X-37B++Theories+have+ranged+from+it+being+a+space+bomber%252C+to+a+probe+on+a+mission+to+%2527take+out%2527+spy+satellites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrHXUr0l63X25GU0sqi1yjogC2IAMMvBvU03Nbkjw2uJm3HSg5Gj89hwyQxTam5ys5QsWpOOW6jpDNt8NsfaMNG6oV8KrhMuXM8oPUTvWse7iF_iZDVSSMZIJYmpMAlVlybaVDaeZL4Y/s640/X-37B++Theories+have+ranged+from+it+being+a+space+bomber%252C+to+a+probe+on+a+mission+to+%2527take+out%2527+spy+satellites.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The X-37B space plane, an experimental program run by the Air Force, 
launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on May 20, 2015. 
 Pictured is an artist's impression</span></td></tr>
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<span id="ext-gen144" style="font-size: 1.2em;">The US Air Force's mystery military space plane has now been in orbit for 600 days. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 X-37B space plane, an experimental program run by the Air Force, 
launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on May 20, 2015.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">While some details of its payload have been revealed - we still do not know exactly what's on board. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen132">
<span id="ext-gen131" style="font-size: 1.2em;">Theories have ranged from it being a space bomber, to a  probe on a mission to 'take out' spy satellites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">If the 
spacecraft spends 74 more days in orbit, it will break the record it set
 during its last mission, which touched down in October 2014.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 mystery vehicle, essentially a technology test bed, is designed to 
orbit the Earth and then land like one of Nasa's old shuttles.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span id="ext-gen139" style="font-size: 1.2em;">According
 to X-37B manufacturer Boeing, the space plane operates in low-earth 
orbit, between 110 (177km) and 500 miles (800km) above earth.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">By comparison, the International Space Station orbits at about 220 miles (350km). </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">While
 its main mission payload is a mystery, Nasa has revealed it has a 
materials experiment aboard, while the Planetary Society is tagging 
along with a solar-sail demo.  </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Called
 LightSail, it uses a propulsion system that uses the pressure of 
photons from the sun, a technique known as solar sailing. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Nine other CubeSat nanosatellites are also taking a piggyback ride into orbit. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The space plane - one of two of the same design - is operated robotically, without anyone on board, and is reusable.</span></div>
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<span id="ext-gen146" style="font-size: 1.2em;">It
 is 29ft (8.8m) long — about one-fourth the size of a Nasa shuttle. The 
longest X-37B flight lasted about 675 days; touchdown was last October.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">There
 is no official word on exactly how long this one will stay up, although
 report suggest it will return to Earth later this year. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">When the plane does return, it will land in Nasa's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.</span></div>
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There is no 
official word on exactly how long this one will stay up, although report
 suggest it will return to Earth later this year </div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">A
 former KSC space-shuttle facility will enable the Air Force 'to 
efficiently land, recover, refurbish and relaunch the X-37B Orbital Test
 Vehicle (OTV),' Boeing representatives told<a class="" href="http://www.space.com/34343-x37b-space-plane-otv4-mission-passes-500-days.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"> Space.com</a>.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">In an unprecedented disclosure, last year the Department of Defense did reveal some details about the X-37B's main mission.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'[We]
 are investigating an experimental propulsion system on the X-37B on 
Mission 4,' Captain Chris Hoyler, an Air Force spokesman, told <a class="" href="http://www.space.com/29221-x37b-military-space-plane-fourth-mission.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Space.com</a>. </span></div>
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<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD87100000578-0-image-a-21_1476174025071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Theories have ranged from it being a space bomber, to a clandestine probe on a mission to 'take out' spy satellites. Pictured is the Atlas V rocket carrying the mysterious payload moments after launch last year" border="0" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="2" height="443" id="i-15a4d89692edfc79" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD87100000578-0-image-a-21_1476174025071.jpg" style="display: block;" width="306" /></a><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD86D00000578-0-image-a-22_1476174027527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The rocket before it launched is pictured" border="0" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="3" height="443" id="i-57126eee074a8b48" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD86D00000578-0-image-a-22_1476174027527.jpg" style="display: block;" width="306" /></a></div>
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Theories 
have ranged from it being a space bomber, to a clandestine probe on a 
mission to 'take out' spy satellites. Pictured is the Atlas V rocket 
carrying the mysterious payload moments (left) after launch last year, 
and just before (right)</div>
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Like
 a shuttle, X-37B is blasted into orbit by a rocket. However, it lands 
using a runway like a normal aircraft. The X-37B is too small to carry 
people onboard, but does have a cargo bay similar to that of a pickup 
truck, which is just large enough to carry a small satellite</div>
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<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'The
 Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office will also host a number of advance 
materials onboard the X-37B for Nasa to study the durability of various 
materials in the space environment,' Hoyler added. </span> </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span id="ext-gen148" style="font-size: 1.2em;">He
 added the vehicle's mission 'cannot be specified' but that it will 
enhance 'the development of the concept of operations for reusable space
 vehicles'.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><a class="" href="http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/04/27/x-37b-launch-date-firms-up-as-new-details-emerge-about-experiment/" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Spaceflightnow.com</a> revealed more details of the flight, which is described as a 'hall thruster electric propulsion test.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It
 is intended to improve performance of the units onboard Advanced 
Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications spacecraft, 
officials claim.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">AEHF
 satellites' Hall thrusters are 4.5-kilowatt units that use electricity 
and xenon to produce thrust for moving satellites in space.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The benefit of using electric propulsion is that its xenon fuel weighs much less than traditional hydrazine.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">This technology could help in the development of technologies to control satellites with better accuracy. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">However,
 experts claim that refining an advanced manoeuvring thruster is 
probably just a small part of the vehicle's true mission set. </span></div>
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<img alt="The US Air Force's top secret X-37B space plane was caught on camera in 2015 by a team of amateur astronomers. South African astronomer Greg Roberts captured this of the space plane in two-second¿long exposures just a few weeks after launch" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="5" height="382" id="i-b2469eb9549a0753" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD49800000578-0-image-a-7_1476173948296.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" />
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The US Air 
Force's top secret X-37B space plane was caught on camera in 2015 by a 
team of amateur astronomers. South African astronomer Greg Roberts 
captured this of the space plane in two-second–long exposures just a few
 weeks after launch</div>
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<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen141">
An
 infrared view of the X-37B unmanned spacecraft landing at Vandenberg 
Air Force Base.  The purpose of the U.S. military's space plane is 
classified</div>
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<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">One
 leading secrecy expert previously told DailyMail.com the drone is 'very
 likely' be used to test technologies that will increase spying 
capabilities of the US.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'The
 US government has a bottomless appetite for sensitive information,' 
said Steven Aftergood, a secrecy expert at the Federation of American 
Scientists.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'As
 powerful as our intelligence satellites may be, they also have their 
limitations - most notably the limitations imposed by their orbital 
parameters.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'It's conceivable that a spy plane would introduce new versatility into overhead reconnaissance.' </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 X-37B space drone, otherwise known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, is 
blasted into orbit by a rocket. However, it lands using a runway like a 
normal aircraft. </span></div>
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The
 X-program has bounced between several federal agencies, Nasa among 
them, since 1999. The plane has been in space for a total of 674 days, 
far more than its two previous flights which lasted 225 and 469 days</div>
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<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 X-37B is too small to carry people onboard, but does have a cargo bay 
similar to that of a pickup truck, which is just large enough to carry a
 small satellite.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The X-program has bounced between several federal agencies, Nasa among them, since 1999.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The program's first mission launched in April 2010 and landed in December that year.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The second space plane took off on March 2011 and came back to Earth in June 2012. <i>dailymail</i></span></div>
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One
 secrecy expert has told DailyMail.com that the drone (artist's 
impression ) is 'likely' to be a spy plane. The program's first mission 
launched in April 2010 and landed in December that year. <i>dailymail</i></div>
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This
 December 3, 2010, image by the Vandenberg Air Force Base shows 
technicians examining the X-37B unmanned spaceplane shortly after 
landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. <i>dailymail</i></div>
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<li><a class="js-tl" href="http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/04/27/x-37b-launch-date-firms-up-as-new-details-emerge-about-experiment/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New details emerge about electric propulsion experiment aboard X-37B | Spaceflight Now</a></li>
<li><a class="js-tl" href="http://www.space.com/32839-x37b-military-space-plane-one-year-mission-otv4.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mystery Mission: Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Nears 1 Year in Orbit</a></li>
<li id="ext-gen149"><a class="js-tl" href="http://www.space.com/34343-x37b-space-plane-otv4-mission-passes-500-days.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Mystery Mission Wings by 500 Days in Orbit</a> </li>
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US Air Force's X-37B space plane reaches 600 days in orbit - and its mission STILL remains a mystery

The X-37B space plane, an experimental program run by the Air Force, launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on May 20, 20...

Cutting-Edge Thruster Gives Space Program a Lift

The HEP-100MF is based on so-called "Hall-effect thruster" technology, 
which has been tested on the ground by researchers at American, Russian,
 European Union and Japanese space agencies.<br />
<br />
But China's thruster aboard the Shijian-17, which the official Xinhua 
News Agency said was built to "verify new technology," was the first to 
be successfully tested in space. It's also dramatically unlike 
propulsion systems of the past.<br />
<br />
Scientists have been working for years to develop long-lasting, 
deep-space-capable alternatives to chemical propulsion. Research into 
electric propulsion, for example, was under way in the United States and
 the Soviet Union even while the first Apollo missions were putting men 
on the moon more than 40 years ago.<br />
<br />
Chemical propulsion is the best option for a short burst of power, but 
mass can be moved via electric propulsion over a much longer period. 
Using a chemical propulsion system, 1 kg of mass can be moved for 300 
seconds using 1 kg of fuel. But an electric propulsion system can 
perform the same task over a period of 9,000 seconds, or two and a half 
hours.<br />
<br />
U.S. researchers led by scientist Harold Kaufman of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) worked on electron 
bombardment thrusters, which are now called Kaufman thrusters. Soviet 
researchers, guided by A. I. Morozov of the Kurchatov Institute, focused
 on the Hall-effect thruster technology.<br />
<br />
Kaufman thrusters are more fuel-efficient and have a higher specific 
impulse than Hall-effect thrusters. But the Hall-effect thruster 
mechanism is less complicated and smaller than its rival.<br />
<br />
The first Kaufmann thruster for a deep-space mission kicked into action 
aboard NASA's Deep Space 1 spacecraft in 1998. It delivered a relatively
 small amount of thrust — roughly equivalent to the amount of 
gravity-induced pressure that keeps a single sheet of paper lying flat 
on a table. But in space, that was enough thrust to accelerate the 
spacecraft by up to 32 km per day.<br />
<br />
Moreover, the Kaufmann thruster managed to operate for more than 14,000 
hours — a longer lifespan than all of the world's chemical propulsion 
engines ever built put together.<br />
<br />
Hall-effect thrusters have been used to propel more than 238 
communications satellites since 1971. But researchers have been unable 
to overcome the system's shortcomings, such as its relatively short 
lifespan and the fact that its ion plume can damage the thruster mechanism.<br />
<br />
<b>Chinese Breakthough</b><br />

Chinese space scientists considered but then abandoned the idea of using
 electric thrusters for satellites in the 1980s. But then researchers, 
led by H.I.T. scientist Yu Daren, a child prodigy who joined the 
institute at age 15, built on the success of the Hall-effect thruster to
 develop the HEP-100MF.<br />
<br />
The H.I.T.'s work began in the 1990s, Yu told Caixin in a recent 
interview, after the Russians could hail the success of their 
Hall-effect thruster technology and after commercial satellites in the 
United States started using a so-called ion thruster in 1997.<br />
<br />
A wave of Chinese researchers that included Yu initially tried to 
replicate Mozorov's findings in their own labs. Eventually, they decided
 to go beyond the Russians by using magnetism to confine the thruster's 
damaging plume.<br />
<br />
Mozorov's team had developed a rudimentary magnetic-focus system. But 
when Yu's team visited Mozorov in Moscow, they found the Russian 
technology as unreliable as their own.<br />
<br />
"The father of the Hall-effect thruster had the same problem: 
inconsistent performance," Yu told Caixin. "But my team realized that, 
if it's possible to control the ion jet for even one instant, there's a 
possibility that we can extend this control, and focus the jet 
consistently."<br />
<br />
Unlocking the secret would require many years of trial and error, Yu 
believed. Thus, the Chinese space program started giving more attention 
to electric propulsion.<br />
<br />
Interest has grown gradually. Only 20 people attended China's first 
National Electric Propulsion Conference at HIT in 2005. But 150 
scientific papers were submitted to the annual conference in 2016.<br />
<br />
In October 2012, China space-tested one Shijian-series satellite with a 
Kaufman thruster and another with a Hall-effect thruster. Each 
thruster's experiment lasted seven minutes.<br />
<br />
"Forty years of work went into those seven minutes," said Zhang Weiwen, 
director of the CAST Institute 510, whose scientists developed the 
thrusters.<br />
<br />
In 2015, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. Institute 801 
researchers announced a breakthrough in Hall-effect technology. They 
said they had developed a thruster with a lifespan of 75,000 hours that 
could ignite 15,000 times and burn 18,000 hours without a break.<br />
<br />
The following year, Yu's team and CAST Institute 502 researchers said 
they had developed a Hall-effect thruster that would improve on its 
predecessor by up to 30 percent, the thruster's chief designer Mao Wei 
told the South China Morning Post. They called it the HEP-100MF.<br />

The November experiment, which was the first flight test for the 
HEP-100MF, has fueled confidence in China's propulsion technology and 
the space program's ability to rocket into deep space.<br />

"The technology for deep-space exploration already exists," Yu said. "All we need now is a go-ahead from the government."</span><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">EmDrive</span></b><br />
<br />
<img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVriK8yDGG2HNcye342KZDE-KtMSz0DjNkkrZq3oYcTUAk4xfhM4CJwsqL8v3xW60zaDhWXuPNrI7gluR0KoNBsCj11dxXC6ReMEU0YHFAM3JjBFzbHkHw880qpTnDZIj7yc8IaOCFpwoX/s640/emdrive.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVriK8yDGG2HNcye342KZDE-KtMSz0DjNkkrZq3oYcTUAk4xfhM4CJwsqL8v3xW60zaDhWXuPNrI7gluR0KoNBsCj11dxXC6ReMEU0YHFAM3JjBFzbHkHw880qpTnDZIj7yc8IaOCFpwoX/s640/emdrive.jpg" /><br />
<b>EmDrive and the propellentless Cannae drive</b><br />
<br />
CAST has held a press conference in Beijing explaining the 
importance of the EmDrive research and to move the technology forward.<br />
<br />
 EM Drive already on board its version of the International Space Station,<a href="http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/12/jerry-pournelle-talks-about-chinas.html" target="_blank"> the space laboratory Tiangong-2</a>.<br />
Chinese researchers have at least constructed an EM Drive and have been studying it for more than five years now.<br />

Chief designer of the CAST (China Academy of Space Technology) communication satellite division, Li Feng, 
told the media that so far their EM Drive only produces millinewtons of 
thrust (similar to NASA's version) and to make it functional, they need 
to get those levels up to between 100 millinewtons and 1 newton.<br />

The team is allegedly now working on the cavity design of the EM Drive 
and the position of the thruster, before testing their new versions on 
their satellites in orbit.<br />

Logically if an EMDrive was placed on Tiangong-2 and no thrust was 
produced in orbit, then the CAST team would probably not hold a
 press conference.<br />
If tiny thrust was produced
 in orbit and in a vacuum then further research would be pursued. 
Further research could still occur if thrust seemed to be produced on 
the ground but did not appear in orbital microgravity. <br />
"This technology is currently in the latter stages of the 
proof-of-principle phase, with the goal of making the technology 
available in satellite engineering as quickly as possible," Li Feng 
explained at the press conference.<br />

"Although it is difficult to do this, we have the confidence that we will succeed."<br />
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<br /></div>
</div>

Cutting-Edge Thruster Gives Space Program a Lift

The Shijian-17 satellite, loaded with the HEP-100MF thruster, is launched by a Long March 5 rocket in the Wenchang Satellite Launch Cen...

Radical hypersonic engine to take to the skies

<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="The Oxfordshire-based firm has been developing a turbine that combines both jet and rocket technologies to achieve rates five times the speed of sound, to fly anywhere in the world in just four hours" class="blkBorder img-share" height="411" id="i-3de34ee97994867f" src="http://mol-images.s3.amazonaws.com/i/newpix/2016/09/26/23/38D2508A00000578-0-image-a-26_1474927727645.jpg" width="634" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-1">
  
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<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: small;">Sabre engine.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The Oxfordshire-based firm has been 
developing a turbine that combines both jet and rocket technologies to 
achieve rates five times the speed of sound, to fly anywhere in the 
world in just four hours</span> </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="mol-para-with-font" style="text-align: left;">
'Fighter jet' sized 4,000mph engine that could go from New York to London in under two hours to be built</h3>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Plans for a
 revolutionary hypersonic propulsion system have now taken a big step 
toward the construction of a ground demonstrator – but at roughly a 
quarter the size of the original vision.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Reaction
 Engines Ltd has scaled back its design for the Sabre engine to bring 
about a demonstrator that is more affordable and better suited to early 
applications, including a potential X-plane.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 Oxfordshire-based firm has been developing a turbine that combines both
 jet and rocket technologies to achieve rates five times the speed of 
sound, to fly anywhere in the world in just four hours.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Rather
 than aiming for a demonstrator that can achieve more than 150,000 lb 
thrust, the firm will instead now target an engine size capable of 
roughly 44,000 lb thrust, according to <a class="" href="http://m.aviationweek.com/technology/reaction-engines-refines-hypersonic-engine-demonstrator-plan" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Aviation Week Network.</a></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">In
 the new plans for the Sabre demonstrator, researchers will target a 
smaller engine similar in size to the F135 engine for the F-35 joint 
Strike Fighter (JSF).</span></div>
<div>
<div class="related-carousel with-fb sciencetech" data-track-module="am-related_carousel^related_carousel" data-track-pos="static" data-track-selector=".rotator-panels a:not([class*=external])" id="p-24">
 </div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Such a
 system, scaled back due to the slowness of funding, could be used in 
multistage vehicles or hypersonic craft the size of an X-plane.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘It
 is now more affordable, more rapid to execute and will potentially find
 its first application quicker,’ Reaction CEO Mark Thomas told Aviation 
Week Network.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘It’s
 a quarter of Sabre, effectively. In an application for something like 
Skylon, the engine would have four combustion chambers connecting to the
 single nozzle, a bypass system and the same turbomachinery, intake and 
heat exchanger.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">

<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="In the new plans for the Sabre demonstrator, researchers will target a smaller engine similar in size to the F135 engine for the F-35 joint Strike Fighter (pictured)" class="blkBorder img-share" height="498" id="i-af890743f1965e1f" src="http://mol-images.s3.amazonaws.com/i/newpix/2016/09/26/23/38D25DD100000578-0-image-a-33_1474928261870.jpg" width="634" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-2">
  
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</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
In the new plans for the Sabre 
demonstrator, researchers will target a smaller engine similar in size 
to the F135 engine for the F-35 joint Strike Fighter (pictured)</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox sciencetech" id="74be5570-8436-11e6-9fac-bf68b2141a9e">
                            <h3 class="wocc">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><b>FUTURE OF FLIGHT? HOW THE SABRE JET ENGINE WORKS</b></span></h3>
<div class="ins cleared xolcc bdrcc">
<div class="mol-img-group float-r">
    <div class="mol-img">

<div class="image-wrap fff-pic">
<img alt="A model of the revolutionary Sabre engine is pictured  " class="blkBorder img-share" height="210" id="i-1f70e4470def49ef" src="http://mol-images.s3.amazonaws.com/i/newpix/2016/09/26/23/38D24FA800000578-0-image-m-30_1474927848912.jpg" width="306" /></div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">A model of the revolutionary Sabre engine is pictured  </span></div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 revolutionary Sabre engine could allow aircraft to take off from a 
runway and accelerate to five times the speed of sound, before switching
 to a rocket mode, propelling it into orbit.</span></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The Sabre engine works by burning atmospheric air in combustion chambers. </span></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It then uses the heat to turbo-charge the engine.</span></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">At
 the moment, rockets have to carry liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to 
power them and the cost of carrying this heavy fuel is expensive. </span></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 new engine creates its own liquid oxygen by cooling air entering the 
engine from 1,000°C to minus 150°C in a hundredth of a second – six 
times faster than the blink of an eye – without creating ice blockages.</span></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">

<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><img alt="The revolutionary Sabre engine could allow aircraft to take off from a runway and accelerate to five times the speed of sound, before switching to a rocket mode, propelling it into orbit. A computer generated image of the ground demonstrator is pictured " class="blkBorder img-share" height="487" id="i-6fee8f882282e7cb" src="http://mol-images.s3.amazonaws.com/i/newpix/2016/09/26/23/38D24F7D00000578-0-image-a-29_1474927825765.jpg" width="624" /></span><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-3">
  
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">The revolutionary Sabre engine could 
allow aircraft to take off from a runway and accelerate to five times 
the speed of sound, before switching to a rocket mode, propelling it 
into orbit. A computer generated image of the ground demonstrator is 
pictured.  <i>dailymail</i></span></div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">This
 new class of aerospace engine is designed to enable aircraft to operate
 from standstill on the runway to speeds of over five times the speed of
 sound in the atmosphere. </span></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It
 can then transition to a rocket mode of operation, allowing spaceflight
 at speeds up to orbital velocity, equivalent to 25 times the speed of 
sound.</span></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘There
 is a view that you could modularize the engine to a far higher degree, 
so that you could have four compressors and still have a large heat 
exchanger. From this point onward you could go completely modular, so if
 you could demonstrate one element, then it is all about integration.’</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Along
 with a JSF-sized engine for the ground demonstrator, the firm plans to 
solve the power gap between air-breathing and rocket engines.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">While the engine is still in the design phase, the firm plans to see three main test phases stretching into the 2020s.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It’s
 hoped that the first test will take place within the next 12-15 months,
 the CEO tells AWN, with a focus on the heat exchanger and the core.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">

<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="Rather than aiming for a demonstrator that can achieve more than 150,000 lb thrust, the firm will instead now target an engine size capable of roughly 44,000 lb thrust. Pictured, an artist's impression of the Lapcat A2 craft flying at Mach 5" class="blkBorder img-share" height="361" id="i-b9095df2e5c05df2" src="http://mol-images.s3.amazonaws.com/i/newpix/2016/09/26/23/38D24F9400000578-0-Rather_than_aiming_for_a_demonstrator_that_can_achieve_more_than-m-32_1474928235437.jpg" width="634" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-4">
  
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
Rather than aiming for a demonstrator 
that can achieve more than 150,000 lb thrust, the firm will instead now 
target an engine size capable of roughly 44,000 lb thrust. </div>
<div class="imageCaption">
Pictured, an 
artist's impression of the Lapcat A2 craft flying at Mach 5</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">

<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="Here, a concept of the Skylon spaceplane using the engine is shown. But now, Reaction Engines Ltd has scaled back its design for the Sabre engine to bring about a demonstrator that is more affordable and better suited to early applications, including a potential X-plane" class="blkBorder img-share" height="448" id="i-246d2e0fbde4222d" src="http://mol-images.s3.amazonaws.com/i/newpix/2016/09/26/23/38D24F8400000578-0-image-a-35_1474928327122.jpg" width="634" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-5">
  
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
Here, a concept of the <i>Skylon 
spaceplane</i> using the engine is shown. But now, Reaction Engines Ltd has 
scaled back its design for the Sabre engine to bring about a 
demonstrator that is more affordable and better suited to early 
applications, including a potential X-plane. <i>dailymail</i></div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Then, the team will move on to the integrated engine tests in 2020-2021.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 system will undergo sea-level testing, and researchers will simulate 
high velocity air by heating the air flow. And, they will run wind 
tunnel tests to assess flow conditions.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">In the third phase, the firm is looking toward concepts of an X-plane or flight demonstration aircraft to put it to the test.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 core will eventually be tested in the UK, meaning Reaction will need to
 build a test facility with a hydrogen/air breathing preburner. </span></div>
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<div class="moduleFull mol-video">
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</div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">In July, it was announced that the European Space Agency has invested $11 million toward the development of the engine.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Along
 with this, Reaction Engines announced that it had secured over $66 
million in funding from the British government, with more than $55 
million from the UK Space Agency, and the ESA contribution acting as the
 final piece.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">At
 the moment, rockets have to carry liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to 
power them and the cost of carrying this heavy fuel is expensive.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 new engine creates its own liquid oxygen by cooling air entering the 
engine from 1,000°C to minus 150°C in a hundredth of a second – six 
times faster than the blink of an eye – without creating ice blockages.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen39">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">This
 allows the engine to run safely at much higher power than is currently 
possible, without the risk that it will overheat and break apart. </span><i>dailymail</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>Lapcat A2 craft flying at Mach 5</b>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" width="660" height="460" scrolling="no" id="molvideoplayer" Embed Player" src="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1144434.html"></iframe>
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Radical hypersonic engine to take to the skies

Sabre engine. The Oxfordshire-based firm has been developing a turbine that combines both jet and rocket technologies to...

The Impossible Propulsion Drive Is Heading to Space

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjobomfK1PRgdu8_Z5bOZC9B-xSQj-zw9DvDY0cEnFO45BWXVRQQlWkrmwDrEytYsxJCUu0_Mhs1np7-OrLeFKSDzRIcyKhLz6bPOP6JjhdGPt4vkHj400Pmtx0FwqR94c0Cyud93MRpg/s1600/37D8BA6F00000578-3771651-image-m-26_1472853548135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjobomfK1PRgdu8_Z5bOZC9B-xSQj-zw9DvDY0cEnFO45BWXVRQQlWkrmwDrEytYsxJCUu0_Mhs1np7-OrLeFKSDzRIcyKhLz6bPOP6JjhdGPt4vkHj400Pmtx0FwqR94c0Cyud93MRpg/s640/37D8BA6F00000578-3771651-image-m-26_1472853548135.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The <a class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a15323/temdrive-controversy/">EmDrive</a>, a hypothetical miracle propulsion system for outer space, has been sparking heated arguments for years. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;">NASA researchers have suggested that the drive is actually <a class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140006052">pushing against "quantum vacuum virtual plasma</a>" of particles that shift in and out of existence.</span><br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span id="ext-gen76" style="font-size: 1.2em;">Physicists
 around the world have long denounced the idea as ‘impossible,’ but one 
firm has now revealed its plans to send the first reactionless space 
drive into orbit.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><a class="" href="http://cannae.com/" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Cannae Inc.</a>
 claims it has demonstrated prototypes of a system that does not require
 on-board propellant to generate thrust, and according to the firm, this
 will be used to launch a demo cubesat into low-Earth orbit in an 
upcoming mission.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It’s
 been argued that this concept violates the laws of thermodynamics, and 
if such demonstrations prove to be successful, it could have major 
implications for our current understanding of physics.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">

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<img alt="Cannae Inc. claims it has demonstrated prototypes of a system that does not require on-board propellant to generate thrust, and according to the firm, this will be used to launch a demo cubesat into low-Earth orbit in an upcoming mission" class="blkBorder img-share" height="357" id="i-99a8e5f2ef46c000" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/09/02/22/37D8A82500000578-3771651-image-a-24_1472853513622.jpg" width="634" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-1">
  
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</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
Cannae Inc. claims it has demonstrated
 prototypes of a system that does not require on-board propellant to 
generate thrust, and according to the firm, this will be used to launch a
 demo cubesat into low-Earth orbit in an upcoming mission. <i>dailymail</i></div>
</div>
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS sciencetech" id="66eb3490-7158-11e6-92f9-052a7fde2887">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Similar to the hypothetical EmDrive, the Cannae Drive is a closed system that generates thrust with no exhaust, <a class="" href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a22678/em-drive-cannae-cubesat-reactionless/" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Popular Mechanics</a> explains.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">And, it's been claimed that this technology would be capable of getting to Mars in just ten weeks. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Cannae’s system relies on Lorentz  – electromagnetic – force created from the thrusters to generate propulsion.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The technology was invented by Guido Fetta, and on August 17, the firm revealed it will soon be put to the test of space.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Cannae
 has formed a new sister company called Theseus Space Inc. to kick off 
the mission, with plans to use a 6U cubesat, roughly the size of a 
shoebox, to demonstrate the thruster.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘Theseus
 is going to be launching a demo cubesat which will use Cannae thruster 
technology to maintain an orbit below a 150 mile altitude,’ the firm 
says.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /><div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘This 
cubesat will maintain its extreme LEO altitude for a minimum duration of
 6 months. The primary mission objective is to demonstrate our thruster 
technology on orbit.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘Secondary
 objectives for this mission include orbital altitude and inclination 
changes performed by the Cannae-thruster technology.’</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">If
 this type of system is found to be successful, in contrast to 
widespread belief, it could revolutionize the satellite business, 
Popular Mechanics points out.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Propellants make up much of a satellite’s weight and can be a limiting factor in their performance.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But if it works, the Cannae Drive could be a game-changer.</span></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">

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<img alt="" class="swap-image embedded-image--image lazy-loaded" data-cut="768" data-img320="http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/18/480x240/landscape-1430424187-emdrive.jpg" data-img320-h="240" data-img320-w="480" data-img480="http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/18/640x320/landscape-1430424187-emdrive.jpg" data-img480-h="320" data-img480-w="640" data-img640="http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/18/1430424187-emdrive.jpg" data-img640-h="449" data-img640-w="699" data-img768="http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/18/1430424187-emdrive.jpg" data-img768-h="449" data-img768-w="699" data-src="http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/18/1430424187-emdrive.jpg" height="411" src="http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/18/1430424187-emdrive.jpg" style="display: block;" width="640" /> EmDrive first demonstrated by British engineer Roger Shawyer.</div>
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The propulsion system is said to generate thrust without any propellant. </div>
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-2">
<a class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" href="http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/04/evaluating-nasas-futuristic-em-drive/">NASA Spaceflight</a> has published an article claiming that this time, the emDrive is really real, and it's gotten picked up a lot by other outlets.</div>
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-2">
Just last month, Jose Rodal <a class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" href="https://www.inverse.com/article/20406-nasa-eagleworks-emdrive-electromagnetic-thruster">claimed</a>
 on the NASA Spaceflight forum that a NASA paper, "Measurement of 
Impulsive Thrust from a Closed Radio Frequency Cavity in Vacuum" has 
finally been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication by the American 
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, but this cannot be confirmed 
yet. </div>
<span style="font-size: small;">There is competition.  a
 lively open-source community of EmDrive enthusiasts has sprung up. 
They're <a class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" href="http://emdrive.wiki/Experimental_Results">building their own drives</a>, and the online discussion is on nasaspaceflight.com now runs to <a class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" href="https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?board=73.0">many hundreds of pages of informed technical comment</a>.</span></div>
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<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘Cannae’s
 thruster technology is capable of generating thrust from a few uN up 
through several newton thrust levels and higher levels,’ the firm says.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘The
 Cannae thruster technology is particularly useful for small satellite 
missions due to low power, mass and volume requirements.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘Our
 thruster configuration for the cubesat mission with Theseus is 
anticipated to required less than 1.5 U volume and will use less than 10
 watts of power to perform station keeping thrusting.’</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 firm has yet to announce the date for this mission, and is faced with 
competition from other innovators looking to build similar systems.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Last month, it was claimed that a Nasa paper on the technology had been accepted for peer review. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen78">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But until these systems really prove their capabilities, physicists still largely remain skeptical.</span></div>
</div>
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The Impossible Propulsion Drive Is Heading to Space

The EmDrive , a hypothetical miracle propulsion system for outer space, has been sparking heated arguments for years. NASA r...

Is the mystery of the 'impossible' fuel free EmDrive thruster about to be solved?

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKwDHXtxXHXJrCrcWG2qhyU5GfxjaPE2l7m3dj96wz2UHLEBxQMsacRB-fdXhFkw1GF7d0lk3ccj1sDoX9yQmB_WGgdr_YmKJ9EnLONMaHloIxYuNznqDwwUMFucQ0uvw67jrL2af5Zw/s1600/Star+trek++++warp+drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKwDHXtxXHXJrCrcWG2qhyU5GfxjaPE2l7m3dj96wz2UHLEBxQMsacRB-fdXhFkw1GF7d0lk3ccj1sDoX9yQmB_WGgdr_YmKJ9EnLONMaHloIxYuNznqDwwUMFucQ0uvw67jrL2af5Zw/s640/Star+trek++++warp+drive.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The technology has been dubbed the 'warp drive' for its similarity to the power plant from the fictional Star trek series.<br />
<br />
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen29">
<span id="ext-gen35" style="font-size: 1.2em;">It has been dubbed the  'impossible engine', that could take humans to Mars in just 10 weeks - but nobody knows how. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span id="ext-gen36" style="font-size: 1.2em;">The so-called EmDrive creates thrust by bouncing microwaves around in an enclosed chamber, and uses only solar power.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Many
 argue the concept is simply hype, suggesting the design goes against 
the laws of physics , and now a Nasa lab that has been studying the 
concept is set to publish its findings for the first time it has been 
claimed.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><span class="mol-style-bold"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="cap" itemprop="caption">The EmDrive cavity chamber created by Shawyer's space company Satellite Propulsion Research Ltd</span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">. <i>Roger Shawyer, Satellite Propulsion Research Ltd</i></span></div>
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<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><span class="mol-style-bold"></span></span></div>
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS sciencetech" id="2245b670-33b5-11e6-9c69-730fa2589b80">
<h3 class="wocc">
                                <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></h3>
<h3 class="wocc">
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></h3>
<h3 class="wocc">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">WHAT IS AN EM DRIVE? </span></span>                            </h3>
<div class="ins cleared xolcc bdrcc">
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The concept of an EmDrive engine is relatively simple.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It provides thrust to a spacecraft by bouncing microwaves around in a closed container.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Solar energy provides the electricity to power the microwaves, which means that no propellant is needed.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 implications for this could be huge. For instance, current satellites 
could be half the size they are today without the need to carry fuel.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Humans could also travel further into space, generating their own propulsion on the way.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But when the concept was first proposed it was considered implausible because it went against the laws of physics.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Its allegedly fuel-free nature also means that the drive may directly contradict the law of conservation of momentum.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It suggests it would produce a forward-facing force without an equal and opposite force acting in the other direction.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><img alt="" height="415" src="https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=40959.0;attach=1361361;image" width="640" /> </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><a href="https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=40959.0;attach=1361361;sess=0">proxima-centauri-b-landscape</a> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">British scientist Roger Shawyer devised the EmDrive concept and first presented it in 1999, but spent years having his technology ridiculed by the international space science research community. According to Shawyer, if the technology is ever commercially realised, EmDrive could transform the aerospace industry and potentially solve the energy crisis, end climate change and speed up space travel by making it much cheaper to launch satellites and spacecraft into orbit.</span><br />
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The idea for an EmDrive was proposed in 1999 by a researcher named Roger Shawyer. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Since then four independent labs, including one at Nasa, have recreated the drive.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But
 the mysterious engine had baffled scientists because it appeared to 
violate the law of conservation of momentum, which states for every 
action there has to be an equal and opposite reaction.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">This
 means the rocket can only accelerate forward if a force of equal 
magnitude is sent in the other direction - the rocket's exhaust.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
Nasa's Eagleworks team is now ready to reveal its findings, it has been claimed - sending the physic world into a tizzy.</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'It
 is my understanding that Eaglework's new paper has been today accepted 
for publication in a peer-review journal, where it will be published,' 
claims one user on the Nasa Spaceflight <a class="" href="https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=40959.msg1573592&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark" id="ext-gen31" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">forum</a>. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><img alt="Microwaves in space" class="imgPhoto full" height="426" id="i1525084" itemprop="contentUrl representativeOfPage" src="https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1525084/microwaves-space.jpg?w=400" title="Microwaves in space" width="640" /> </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is the mystery of the 'impossible' fuel free EmDrive thruster about to be solved? Claims secretive Nasa lab to publish paper on 'warp drive' that could take humans to Mars in 10 weeks</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Earlier this year, an employee confirmed the team was working on the paper.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'The Eagleworks Lab is NOT dead and we continue down the path set by our NASA management. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'Past
 that I can't say more other than to listen to Dr Rodal on this topic, 
and please have patience about when our next EW paper is going to be 
published. Peer reviews are glacially slow,' Eagleworks engineer Paul 
March wrote on the same forum. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen37">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Earlier this year, a <a class="" href="http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/adva/6/6/10.1063/1.4953807" id="ext-gen32" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">paper</a> published in AIP Advances  suggests the EmDrive produces an exhaust like every other rocket.</span></div>
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<img alt="Simulated transverse magnetic modes TM20, (red high, blue low) at the wide and narrow ends of the EmDrive cavity differ from each other. This implies  interference of microwaves, and hence also anisotropic efflux of paired photons. The loss of momentum results in an equal and opposite reaction, i.e., thrust" class="blkBorder img-share" height="300" id="i-7e10112cd904c8c4" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/06/16/13/355A14D200000578-0-image-a-15_1466079262783.jpg" width="634" /><br />
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<span class="cap" itemprop="caption">The 
schematic view of a cavity where simulated transverse magnetic modes, 
(red high, blue low) at the wide and narrow ends of a metallic tapered 
cavity differ from each other. This uneven interference of microwaves 
implies uneven efflux of photon pairs, and hence uneven loss of momentum
 results in an equal and opposite reaction, i.e. thrust. </span><i><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">Arto Annila</span></i><br />
</div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'EmDrive
 works just like any other engine,' Dr Arto Annila, physics professor at
 the University of Helsinki and lead author of the paper, told 
MailOnline.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'Its fuel is the input photons at microwave lengths.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 researchers suggest the photons coming out of the machine interfere 
with each other, so that the overall effect seems as if nothing is 
there. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'In
 the cavity the input photons will bounce back and forth, and invariably
 some of them will interfere completely destructively.'</span></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
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</div>
<div class="overlay-icon mobile-gallery">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen33">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'Then the two photons will be exactly 180 degrees out phase. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'At
 the complete interference electromagnetic fields for the two photons 
will cancel exactly, but the photons themselves continue to propagate.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 idea is the same as water waves travelling together, at the exact right
 time so that the crest of one wave is exactly at the trough of the 
other and cancelling each other out. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 water does not go away, it's still there. In the same way the pairs of 
photons are still there and carrying momentum even though they cannot be
 seen as light.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
<div class="mol-img">
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<img alt="The Nasa Eagleworks team is tasked with investigating radical propulsion methods" class="blkBorder img-share" id="i-b82b6777cfb05f96" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/29/22/37B0F4A700000578-3764112-image-a-2_1472505491147.jpg" /><br />
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<div class="imageCaption">
The Nasa Eagleworks team is tasked with investigating radical propulsion methods<br />
</div>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="mol-img-group floatRHS">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic">
<img alt="The idea is the same as water waves travelling together, at the exact right time so that the crest of one wave is exactly at the trough of the other" class="blkBorder img-share" height="292" id="i-78b14449c433e5c4" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/06/16/13/3559FEEB00000578-0-The_idea_is_the_same_as_water_waves_travelling_together_at_the_e-a-18_1466079359909.jpg" width="306" /></div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
The idea is the same as water waves 
travelling<br />
together, at the exact right time so that the crest<br />
of one 
wave is exactly at the trough of the other</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The EmDrive does work, but there's still a long way to go</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span> </div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'The
 paired photons without net electromagnetic field will escape from the 
cavity,' Dr Annila said. 'This efflux of paired photons is the exhaust 
of EmDrive.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'When
 the cavity is asymmetric, like the tapered cone, the efflux of paired 
photons is also asymmetric. Therefore the loss of momentum carried by 
the paired photons is uneven. In other words, thrust is non-zero.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Dr
 Annila came up with the idea along with Dr Erkki Kolehmainen, an 
organic chemistry professor at the University of Jyväskylä and Patrick 
Grahn, a multiphysicist at engineering software firm Comsol. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'Thrust
 without exhaust is of course impossible,' the authors wrote in their. 
'Yet, certain resonant cavities, when fueled with microwaves, deliver 
thrust without apparent exhaust.' </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Their theory suggest the exhaust produced by the EmDrive is there, but just cannot be seen. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Dr
 Annila said the photons could theoretically be detected by an 
interferometer, the same instrument used to detect gravitational waves.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'My
 gut feeling is that it will be very difficult to detect such a small 
excess in energy density, especially when operating EmDrive steadily,' 
he said.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'Namely
 changes are more amenable to detection in any case. But still our idea 
about the exhaust can be useful to design the cavity for pairing photons
 better for an exit in a preferred direction, and hence to generate more
 thrust.' </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox sciencetech" id="e911de80-33ad-11e6-830d-a349757c19ac">
<h3 class="wocc">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><b>HOW THE EMDRIVE PRODUCES THRUST WITHOUT AN EXTERNAL FORCE</b></span></h3>
<h3 class="wocc">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></h3>
<div class="ins cleared xolcc bdrcc">
<div class="mol-img-group float-r">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic">
<img alt="Dr Mike McCulloch of Plymouth University has a new explanation about how the EmDrive works" class="blkBorder img-share" height="306" id="i-268bf94638c46159" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/27/19/3397CA9100000578-3562034-image-a-2_1461781962236.jpg" width="306" /></div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
Dr Mike McCulloch of Plymouth University has</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
a new explanation about how the EmDrive works</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The EmDrive creates thrust by bouncing microwaves around in an enclosed chamber, and uses only solar power.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">According
 to classical physics, the EM Drive should be impossible because it 
seems to violate the law of conservation of momentum.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 law states that the momentum of a system is constant if there are no 
external forces acting on the system – which is why propellant is 
required in traditional rockets.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But Mike McCulloch of Plymouth University came up with a possible explanation based on a new theory of inertia.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">McCulloch's
 suggests inertia arises from an effect predicted by Einstein's theory 
of general relativity called 'Unruh radiation'.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 Unruh radiation effect states that if you're accelerating in a vacuum, 
empty space will contain a gas of particles at a temperature 
proportional to the acceleration.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">According to McCulloch, inertia is the pressure that the Unruh radiation exerts on an accelerating body.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">When
 the accelerations involved are smaller, such as is the case with the 
EmDrive, the wavelength of Unruh radiation gets larger.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">At extremely small accelerations, the wavelengths become too large to fit in the observable universe.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">As
 a result, inertia may only take on whole-wavelength units over time, 
causing it to become 'quantized.' This means it can only in some 
multiple of a unit of measure, causing sudden jumps in acceleration. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But because of the EmDrive's truncated cone, the Unruh radiation in tiny.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 cone allows Unruh radiation of a certain size at the large end but only
 a smaller wavelength at the other end, according to an in-depth report 
by MIT.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">This
 means the inertia of photons inside the cavity change as they bounce 
back and forth. To conserve momentum, they are forced to generate 
thrust.</span></div>
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<img alt="The concept of an EmDrive engine is relatively simple. It provides thrust to a spacecraft by bouncing microwaves around in a closed container. Dr Mike McCulloch, a scientist at Plymouth University, says something known as 'Unruh radiation' may be behind the bizarre performance of drive" class="blkBorder img-share" height="538" id="i-6e758805776151d3" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/06/16/13/3559FEF900000578-0-The_concept_of_an_EmDrive_engine_is_relatively_simple_It_provide-a-19_1466079385293.jpg" width="624" /><br />
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The concept of an
 EM Drive engine is relatively simple. It provides thrust to a 
spacecraft by bouncing microwaves around in a closed container. Dr Mike 
McCulloch, a scientist at Plymouth University, says something known as 
'Unruh radiation' may be behind the bizarre performance of drive. <i>dailymai</i></div>
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Is the mystery of the 'impossible' fuel free EmDrive thruster about to be solved?

The technology has been dubbed the 'warp drive' for its similarity to the power plant from the fictional Star trek series. It ...

Errymath