spacecraft propulsion
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EmDrive, the ‘Impossible’ Engine Tested by NASA, Is Knocked Down Once Again
Five years ago, NASA researchers experimented with an object called the EmDrive (or electromagnetic drive), a Y-shaped metal chamber in which, they reported, thrust could be produced without propellant. Such a contraption would refute core principles of physics as we know them and eliminate a huge barrier to deep space travel by nullifying the need…
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LightSail 2 Opens Its Sails In An Early Test Of Tech That May Make Interstellar Travel Possible
A tiny spacecraft in Earth orbit has successfully deployed its solar sails. Called LightSail 2, the craft will now use the power of the Sun to lift its orbital height even further, in what’s considered an important test of this promising means of propulsion.