The WTF-thruster

El_Heffe

Chris Lee / Nov 22, 2016 / Science

NASA’s EM-drive still a WTF-thruster

New paper generates more noise than experimental thrust.

anonymous234

It's not real. I'll bet you $100.

El_Heffe

@anonymous234 said in The WTF-thruster:

It's not real. I'll bet you $100.

But you have to admit, a unicorn with microwaves coming out of its ass is pretty cool.

Tsaukpaetra

@El_Heffe said in The WTF-thruster:

@anonymous234 said in The WTF-thruster:

It's not real. I'll bet you $100.

But you have to admit, a unicorn with microwaves coming out of its ass is pretty cool.

So long as you don't try consuming said microwaves.

cvi

Not entirely bad discussion of the WTF-Thruster.

https://youtu.be/JGcvxg7jJTs

anonymous234

@El_Heffe You know what else is cool? Colonizing Mars. Which is what we could do if the EmDrive was real. But it's not.

Lorne Kates

@anonymous234 said in The WTF-thruster:

@El_Heffe You know what else is cool? Colonizing Mars. Which is what we could do if the EmDrive was real. But it's not.

You know how else we could colonize Mars?

Putting people on rockets and sending them there with food and shelters and things.

anonymous234

@Lorne-Kates said in The WTF-thruster:

rockets

Rockets need fuel to shoot backwards in order to move forward. This means you now need some more fuel to lift that fuel you added, so the amount of fuel (and therefore amount of $$$ burned) increases exponentially. Getting to Mars is still possible, but getting to, say, Pluto? No chance.

Now a reactionless drive (which, again, is impossible and will never happen, because the universe is cruel and uncaring), you just strap a (comparatively) tiny nuclear reactor to them for energy and off you go as far as you want.

Lorne Kates

@anonymous234 said in The WTF-thruster:

Rockets need fuel to shoot backwards in order to move forward. This means you now need some more fuel to lift that fuel you added, so the amount of fuel (and therefore amount of $$$ burned) increases exponentially. Getting to Mars is still possible, but getting to, say, Pluto? No chance.

You want to colonize Pluto now?

anonymous234

@Lorne-Kates Well no, but I'd like to be able to in case some day I need a place to store stuff and all the other planets are full.

Luhmann

@Lorne-Kates said in The WTF-thruster:

You want to colonize Pluto now?

I would aim straight for Ur-anus.

Scarlet_Manuka

@El_Heffe Loved the article. The writer can certainly turn a phrase. My favourite bit was right at the end:

I promise you that I went into this paper determined to be skeptical but positive. Unfortunately, all of my positive thoughts drained through the gaping holes in the paper, leaving me at skeptical and exasperated.