The EmDrive just won't die
Wrote an article on the EmDrive some years back and have a little more insight on it than the average bear.<p>Good to see the Dresden group is still plunking away after all these years. Other than Eagleworks and a group in China, they were early leaders on verifying the concept.<p>The law of conservation of momentum was created before quantum mechanics was discovered. Let&#x27;s assume there&#x27;s a base medium in which all energy (that is, mass) is embedded.  Furthermore, let&#x27;s assume there&#x27;s a way to interface with this medium. The EmDrive works if one allows mass (that is, energy) to be transferred into this base medium. Momentum is conserved because the mass&#x2F;energy is transferred to the all-encompassing medium. This medium is the same medium which enables quantum entanglement.<p>In theory, the quantum vacuum and surrounding phenomena provides that medium. Frankly, I feel the classical interpretation of CoM is insufficient to explain the workings of the EmDrive. The article uses the phrase &quot;a physics violation,&quot; but a more accurate statement is &quot;a high-school level physics violation.&quot;<p>How big of a deal is the EmDrive? It&#x27;s an EM-wave-to-thrust device. Take a moment and consider the significance of such a device. Satellites could remain in space effectively forever, because solar panels continuously source the &quot;propellant&quot;. Build one strong enough to counter Earth&#x27;s gravity, and you get the hovercraft. As long as you have access to electricity, you can generate thrust.<p>The article also mentions Salvatore Pais and his patents. His story took off after one particular Hacker News post and a comment on that post. You can read the full comment at the link below, but here&#x27;s the most important points:<p>&quot;Whether or not the named inventor was a crank, and whether or not the invention was equally frivolous, this was a patent prosecuted by a Navy attorney, vouched for by the Navy CTO, and pushed through under atypical circumstances, in a public forum.<p>What&#x27;s even more intriguing is that, if the Navy wanted, it could obtain the patent under a secrecy order that would keep it from the public&#x27;s eyes until it was declassified.<p>Knowing all this, now ask yourself why this impossible sounding patent issued in a public forum with high-level brass support under tax payer dollars.&quot;<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19763445" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19763445</a><p>My gut tells me the EmDrive works. Time will tell, of course.