What is the EM Drive? And Does it Really Work?

In the last few days a paper from the NASA Eagleworks team experimenting with the EM Drive has cleared peer review and been published. Does this really mean that one day we'll be using this technology to drive spacecraft?
Probably not.

[HappyBeezerStudios]

step 1: It's made of copper
step 2: copper is red
step 3: red things go faster
step 4: (....)
step 5: thrust

[PhazonSouffle]

Looks like they might have found an exploit in the physics engine. I wonder how long until the developers patch it out?

[CretvMG]

The most impressive thing in this video is that amazing wall of LPs behind Scott.

[theCodyReeder]

I'll admit it, this video kicks my video's but; Scott is just so good at explaining this sort of thing. Hopefully I'll eventually get to eat my hat.

[georgelastrapes]

This is like putting small wheels on the front and big tires on the back of a race car-- a dragster! The forward tilt makes it think it's rolling downhill. The snarling motors are just to impress the crowd.

[kevingrozni]

Thanks, Scott, for being the voice of reason on the EM drive. I've really been a bit disgusted at how the so-called science media has been fawning over a device where even the inventors can make no explanation of how it works. And as a spacecraft designer I concur that, even if it does work, it wouldn't be that useful.

[tybo]

When I heard "perpetual motion", I immediately thought of The Simpsons.
"LISA, IN THIS HOUSE WE OBEY THE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS!"

[Ammothief]

I'll believe it when my microwave flies away on its own.

[EebstertheGreat]

Correction: the shape is a _frustum_ not a _frustrum._ The latter is related to the word "frustrate." A frustum is the portion of a generalized cone (the set of lines passing through a given point and a given Jordan curve) which is between two parallel planes, each on the same side of the given point as the given curve. In other words, it's a cone or pyramid with the top cut off.

[dank]

Scientist: thrilled to be proven wrong, and learns from the evidence.
Fanatics: enraged to be proven wrong, and denies the evidence.

[VikingTeddy]

"Pushing against quantum vacuum virtual particles"

So they fell back on good old ether.

[mmb]

Nasa scientists be like:
- hey have you heard about the EM drive
*yea it sounds interesting
- we have a break soon
* yea
- wanna build it
*shure

[muskyelondragon]

The EM is a definite maybe, but damn look at that vinyl collection!

[taiwanjohn]

I hope that someday we can dispense with hyperbolic statements like "We'll have to forget everything we know about physics!" The discovery of quantum physics did not mean we had to forget everything we knew about Newtonian physics, it just explained a set of observations that didn't fit the Newtonian model. If the EM-Drive can be shown to work reliably, then a theory will have to be devised to explain it. Sounds to me like a great opportunity for learning. Even if it can be shown NOT to work, we'll probably learn something useful along the way.

[galion]

Isn't this basically the same as blowing on your own sail?

[condorscondor]

my stance on this whole thing is basically: Nothing is impossible, but some things are unlikely. im hopeful, but retaining a healthy skepticism.

[lemongrenade]

I can just imagine the look on Scott Manly's face if it actually

[blueflames]

Why don't they just call the photon drive a "flashlight"

[sasquatchhadarock]

I dearly hope the scientific community is approaching this with a healthy balance of skepticism and curiosity. We understand the "laws" of physics as well as we are willing to test their boundaries. We don't need the sci-comm stonewalling development of new ideas just to hold on to established dogma. Can we get around general relativity? Can we generate unlimited energy?

The correct answer is "not under our current understanding of physics, *but*..."

[metalslimehunt]

The way this year has been going, we might as well end it by chucking all of our physics books into bonfires in worship of our new conical god, the EM Drive.