The Dipole Drive: A New Concept in Space Propulsion
Previously discussed: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=17428751" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=17428751</a><p>I chewed on this idea for several days, eventually coming to the same conclusion others had: it won&#x27;t work.  This poster came up with a correct explanation much faster than I did: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=17432975" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=17432975</a><p>Zubrin has taken a familiar approximation -- that the field near a flat charged plate is uniform -- and forgotten that it&#x27;s only an approximation, and that the keyword is &quot;near&quot;.  As particles leave the vicinity of the drive, they will be attracted back toward it, reversing the momentum transfer.