Delta4Embassy
Gold Member
Testing shows using microwaves to propel a craft into space might work
"The testing involved building a thruster that operates on the ground and then testing to see how much thrust is generated—the team is reporting that they achieved a specific impulse of 500 seconds when using helium, and believe that when they switch to hydrogen that number will jump to 600 seconds—enough, they claim, to push a small craft into space.
With a real space plane, the microwaves would strike the heat shield on the bottom of the craft (both at liftoff and as it made its way into space) powering an electromagnetic motor which in turn would heat hydrogen as it was released from a tank—the result would be pushed through a nozzle, resulting in thrust. Once in orbit the plane would stay aloft long enough to deploy a satellite, then glide back down to Earth. The trick here is that the entire system does not have to be efficient, just the craft itself. The microwave array would be powered by electricity, generated by any number of means, down here on Earth."
"The testing involved building a thruster that operates on the ground and then testing to see how much thrust is generated—the team is reporting that they achieved a specific impulse of 500 seconds when using helium, and believe that when they switch to hydrogen that number will jump to 600 seconds—enough, they claim, to push a small craft into space.
With a real space plane, the microwaves would strike the heat shield on the bottom of the craft (both at liftoff and as it made its way into space) powering an electromagnetic motor which in turn would heat hydrogen as it was released from a tank—the result would be pushed through a nozzle, resulting in thrust. Once in orbit the plane would stay aloft long enough to deploy a satellite, then glide back down to Earth. The trick here is that the entire system does not have to be efficient, just the craft itself. The microwave array would be powered by electricity, generated by any number of means, down here on Earth."
