VASIMR- New and faster propulsion system for space!

[MrMrUSMC]

I just got a huge smile on my face. Now we shall be mining the asteroid belts and visiting distant planets if this is put into effect for our spacecraft.

[brabanthallen]

Recently, the LHC at CERN showed that light speed is no longer the universal speed limit, as Einstein believed. The data has shown that neutrinos can travel FASTER than light speed. Einstein was wrong. It has also been demonstrated that the laws of physics which govern our area of the universe are not uniform everywhere in the universe. Don't ever presume that lightspeed propulsion cannot be achieved. There's a good chance that one day you'd be proven wrong.

[tiansivive]

@brabanthallen that's not quite right... They aren't sure if their results are correct, in fact, they think that it's more likely they made a mistake. Most people are skeptical about it because back in 87, light from a supernova hit earth and along with that light there were neutrinos. If they really were faster, they'd have reached Earth ages ago.

However, there's the possibility that the results are right and there's some other unknown factor that made the neutrinos go faster

[AntiMatter3000]

@brabanthallen actually..cern has said that some wiring messed up..and that the light speed is indeed the speed limit

[FredPilcher]

Why does that woman speak to us as if we're 4 years old?

[irishbreakfast]

light speed can only be achieved by light.period.give or take a hundredth of a second,thats the speed limit.sorry guys. light can be slowed,but not accelerated.and thats only with strong gravity slightly curving it.and not by much,either. a simple magnetic pulse generator system embedded in the epidermal layer of the craft will help with friction and small to medium impacts,and will assist in acceleration but only to a limit.the structural integrity of the craft needs to be able to take that!

[dvh065]

What about thrust and speed?

[johnshepherd2011]

such an awesome propulsion system!

[lunhil12]

Excellent engine for moving huge cargos to the moon, mars etc.

[coolermasterpro]

that annoying lady speaks to us like we are 10 yr old retards who cant understand english

[nolidoalaluc]

great invention...hope to use it someday in air plane and to generate electricity.

[kokofan50]

@nolidoalaluc A vasmir would melt itself in an atmosphere. Air would get in to the engine and move heat from the plasma to the magnets melting them. Then remeber were that plasma would go so anything behind it would melt or be set on fire very fast.

[nolidoalaluc]

@kokofan50 Thanks for the info,

[siogyumolcs]

this video is like a nasty porn

[acce64]

While this technology is a huge improvement in comaprison to the obsolete rocket propulsion system they're using today, I'm still waiting for a lightspeed breakthrough. I mean literally. We've broken the sound barrier and before they didn't think it'd be possible. Like today they think approaching the speed of light would be impossible. We just have to wait and see. I believe those lightning fast ufos hold the key, whether they're terrestrial or extraterrestrial it doesn't matter.

[thedeviluknow]

@acce64 There was never any doubt about breaking the sound barrier in terms of violating physical laws, only our engineering ability at the time was in doubt. Unfortunately while we may approach c one day with sufficiently advanced propulsion systems we will never reach or exceed it. We may develop new techniques which allow us to traverse great distances in little time but I guarantee they will not break any physical laws.

[Zantaer]

@acce64 If you travel at light speed in a spacecraft, a single hydrogen atom would create enough friction to blow the whole thing apart. On average there are about 3 hydrogen atoms per cubic meter in outer space. That means if you are traveling in a craft that is one meter in diameter you would be hitting almost 900,000,000 hydrogen atoms every second. So much for your theory.

[LaenPvP]

@Zantaer There's no hydrogen atoms in wormholes!

[MrAnonUK]

@Zantaer You're a prime example of the gentleman's point. You think because it's currently beyond the realms of our knowledge and perhaps even our reasoned imagination that it'll remain the case. History has shown many times, we often reach much further than those before us had dared to dream of.

Perhaps one day you'll be one of many, where his thinking could leave him as one of the few pioneers. A different field I know, but did it not take the same leap of faith from Charles Darwin?

[Zantaer]

@MrAnonUK You could have a point, but on the other hand, Charles Darwin didn't think beyond the realm of physical impossibility. He simply examined the evidence, came up with a hypothesis, and tested it.

[MrAnonUK]

@Zantaer I couldn't agree more. The days are long and Youtube, time short. I didn't put much thought into the example. Only time will tell.

[zadeh79]

@Zantaer Is that frictional source what limits a VSIMR crafts speed?

[Zantaer]

@zadeh79 I don't know, I was just explaining why it's impossible to travel light speed.

[WhirledSol]

Sounds....pretty cool!

[andycook1111]

only thing about that is if the source is a sun lol

[TonyTuthill]

How about using the magnetic field around the craft to leverage the solar winds/Birkeland currents/Plasma flows/magnetic fields between bodies in space as a propulsion system.

The Birkeland Currents are solid state flows?

Could you not charge your ships field to make you an electron so that you could travel the direction of the flows?

Could you use the energy that is already out there as opposed to stopping place to gather fuel?

[Dierwolf2000]

@TonyTuthill very likely. solar sails will give way to solar energy pumps I am sure. i wonder though, just what environmental effects this will have in terms of the aforementiopned currents and such.

[Drvol1]

cool