Mustafa's Space Drive

[Arclight]

Remember the name, because you might see it again: Aisha Mustafa, a 19-year-old Egyptian physics student, patented a new type of propulsion system for spacecraft that uses cutting edge quantum physics instead of thrusters.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1837966/m...sics-invention


Basically a compact solar sail if I read it correctly. Could be a major advance if it pans out.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Arclight

Basically a compact solar sail if I read it correctly.

Its more like having two small mirrored plates almost in contact with each other. As the mirrors move vacuum energy pushes the two plates apart.

Side note it takes energy to move those mirrors. Where does that energy come from? And is it greater than the force his drive system provides?

Unfortunately all this drive basically does is emit a small stream of photons. Such a drive system would be as effective for spacecraft propulsion as a flash light.

[Arclight]

Well as the article implies, better use might be on satellites and probes. Minor course adjustments for deep-space reconnaissance, stuff like that.

As for moving the mirrors, I think a small solar panel would suffice. We're talking tiny movements right?

[soopaman2]

This seems very similar to the nuclear pulse engine, which would theoretically work great at long distances, but useless for reaching orbital velocity out of the earths atmosphere.


(edit: mind you the article makes it seem like a perpetual motion type machination, but a perpetually free energy machine is impossible. Even in space, there is gravitational drag.
Not saying the girl is a fool, but just saying that many fools have come before her with similar types of non functioning theoretical motors. That never see the light of day, due to being more scientific, and speculative, than anything some shareholders can make money on.

No one takes risks anymore. It is not profitable to the shareholders. It will take too long to come to fruitiion, something mankind is not willing to do anymore. I hate to say it, but the nuke is our Pinnacle of physics sucesss. Just because it it too expensive to do more than kill one another.

This girls dreams will evaporate. Not being cynical, but realistic.

Lets just hope she can get her thesis out, before it is killed by the powers that be. She deserves a PhD.

No risks, makes the stock price drop if we do risk.

But Gemini, and Apollo were risks. Sputnik program was a risk, SpaceX is a risk. I believe in the girl, truly I do.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Arclight

Well as the article implies, better use might be on satellites and probes. Minor course adjustments for deep-space reconnaissance, stuff like that.

We have engines for that already. They are called Ion Thrusters, they run on solar or RTG power and have Xenon for fuel. They are extremely fuel efficient.

[Arclight]

But don't those require significantly more electrical energy? And they require fuel, even if very little.

[Gargamel]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Its more like having two small mirrored plates almost in contact with each other. As the mirrors move vacuum energy pushes the two plates apart.

Side note it takes energy to move those mirrors. Where does that energy come from? And is it greater than the force his drive system provides?

Unfortunately all this drive basically does is emit a small stream of photons. Such a drive system would be as effective for spacecraft propulsion as a flash light.

Which is only slightly less the the ion drive engine in the new horizons spacecraft. Which currently holds the record for fastest spacecraft. It's a matter o acceleration Over time.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Gargamel

Which is only slightly less the the ion drive engine in the new horizons spacecraft. Which currently holds the record for fastest spacecraft. It's a matter o acceleration Over time.

The ion drive nothing to do with the New Horizon's velocity as NH is equipped with good old hydrazine thrusters (like the shuttle) not ion thrusters. Plus NH was launched directly in to a solar escape trajectory meaning the majority of its velocity was provided by the Atlas rocket launcher and not the probe's thrusters (which are for maneuvering).

Voyager 1 is the fastest object on a hyperbolic trajectory out of the solar system, but it gained its momentum from the gravitational slingshot maneuvers it performed en route.

Also the Helios 1 and 2 spacecraft have higher velocities as they reach perihelion.

New Horizons: 16.5 km/s
Voyager 1: 17.14 km/s
Helios at perihelion: 70.22 km/s

Chemical Reaction Rockets FTW.

Originally Posted by Arclight

But don't those require significantly more electrical energy? And they require fuel, even if very little.

IDK, we have no figures for the amount of energy required to move the mirrors in Mustafa Casimir Effect engine.

And correction ion engines do not require fuel they require reaction mass (remass). The Xenon (etc) is the reaction mass, electrical energy gathered from solar panels or an on board RTG is the fuel. A Casimir effect engine simply grabs remass from the vacuum, its fuel is the whatever motor is moving the plates. An ion engine in theory could gather stellar gas (like hydrogen) via a magnetic ram scoop for fuel requiring it to carry no onboard fuel at launch.

[Gargamel]

Your right. I misspoke. Not new horizons. It was Dawn I was thinking of. Nh had the highest earth escape velocity ever, while dawn has the ion drive.

But how can you say chem rockets ftw? They are limited by the energy stored in their very massive amount of fuel. The more fuel you carry, the more fuel you need to lift that fuel. While as you mentioned, ion is almost sufficient.

[Gargamel]

Doing a little more research, found this little nugget:

As of March 2011, a future launch of an Ad Astra VF-200 200 kW VASIMR electromagnetic thruster was being considered for placement and testing on the International Space Station. The VF-200 is a flight version of the VX-200.[37][38] though it may be later.[39][40] Since the available power from the ISS is less than 200*kW, the ISS VASIMR will include a trickle-charged battery system allowing for 15 min pulses of thrust. Testing of the engine on ISS is valuable because ISS orbits at a relatively low altitude and experiences fairly high levels of atmospheric drag, making periodic boosts of altitude necessary. Currently, altitude reboosting by chemical rockets fulfills this requirement. If the tests of VASIMR reboosting of the ISS goes according to plan, the increase in specific impulse could mean that the cost of fuel for altitude reboosting will be one-twentieth of the current $210 million annual cost.[39]Hydrogen is generated by the ISS as a by-product, which is currently vented into space.

Interesting.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Gargamel

Your right. I misspoke. Not new horizons. It was Dawn I was thinking of. Nh had the highest earth escape velocity ever, while dawn has the ion drive.

Even for the Dawn probe, a chemical rocket gave it escape velocity.

But how can you say chem rockets ftw? They are limited by the energy stored in their very massive amount of fuel. The more fuel you carry, the more fuel you need to lift that fuel. While as you mentioned, ion is almost sufficient.

Ion drives are also limited in their supply of Remass and Fuel. With an ion drive it's remass and fuel cannot be used to reach orbit using any current rockets.

Now unless you are building an ion thruster in space its needs some kind of high thrust engine to get and its heavy power source there (unless you are building a very small probe or a spacecraft that orbits close to the sun the power source is going to be heavy). Using drives with low specific impulse like ion drives are fine for maneuvering thrusters on objects already in orbit but even a VASMIR is not lifting off from Earth on its own.

The only thing we have built that is anywhere close to being both fuel efficient for spaceflight and has high thrust capable of achieving orbit is an Orion or a NERVA, and no one will let us build those.

Originally Posted by Gargamel

Doing a little more research, found this little nugget

I hope they do put a VASMIR on the ISS, that is both a good role and a good test for one.

[TLAM Strike]

I present you the Egyptian Space Drive:


Its unclear where the rest of the sewing machine is...

Source: http://www.humanipo.com/blog/437/19-...pulsion-device

Experts on spacecraft propulsion made the following comment: