The Possibility of a Propellantless Drive
Since the early days of rockets and space exploration, scientists have questioned the possibility of propellantless drive, which, in simple terms, would allow an object such as a rocket to generate thrust without expelling a stored propellant such as fuel.
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In 2001, British Electrical Engineer Roger Shawyer was the first to introduce the concept, which many began calling the “impossible drive.”
British Engineer Introduces Concept
The idea of a propellantless drive certainly existed in the psyche of humans throughout the tail end of the 20th century, with many using such an idea in sci-fi novels and television shows.
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In 2001, British Electrical Engineer Roger Shawyer became the first to introduce a concept on a theoretical level, which many began calling the “impossible drive.”
The EmDrive
Shawyer and his team worked on their concept, the EmDrive, which they claimed to be reaction-less. In other words, it required no propellant, which is defined as “any gas, liquid, or solid the expansion of which can be used to impart motion to another substance or object.”
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The concept remained highly controversial among researchers as it technically defies the laws of physics, such as the conservation of momentum.
How the EmDrive Works
The EmDrive constructed by Shawyer is made from a cone-shaped cavity filled with microwaves.
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According to the engineer, the microwaves bounce within the cavity, creating a difference in radiation pressure that results in a thrust directed toward the cone’s narrow end.
Shawyer is Unsuccessful in Attempts to Create Propellantless Drive
Despite over two decades of testing, Shawyer was ultimately unsuccessful in his venture, and the EmDrive was deemed a failure in 2021.
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However, this wasn’t the end of the concept, as new challengers emerged, and they had the expertise of a NASA scientist to guide them.
The Dream of a Propelant-less Machine Lives On
Dr. Chales Buhler and his team at Exodus Propulsion Technologies believe they may have stumbled upon their own propellantless propulsion drive.
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The new device is said to defy the current laws of physics and can produce enough thrust to bypass Earth’s gravity.
The Discovery of a New Force
Buhler, who’s worked on several revered programs, including NASA’s Space Shuttle, the Hubble Telescope, and the International Space Station (ISS), believes his team has made a groundbreaking discovery.
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Buhler believes that he and his colleagues have discovered a new fundamental force as a result of their experiments centered on creating a propellantless drive.
A Major Discovery Unfolds
Speaking with The Debrief, Buhler said, “The most important message to convey to the public is that a major discovery occurred.”
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He continued, “This discovery of a New Force is fundamental in that electric fields alone can generate a sustainable force onto an object and allow center-of-mass translation of said object without expelling mass.”
Drive Produces Enough Force to Overcome Earth's Gravity
Buhlers’ large team consists of scientists from NASA, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, and the Air Force, all equally committed to furthering his research.
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Most of the Buhler researchers had been researching the possibility of propellantless drives for many years before switching their focus to electrostatics.
Breakthrough for the Researchers
In the beginning, their device had a minuscule amount of thrust. However, they began to experience minor increases with each new iteration.
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In 2023, they had their breakthrough when their device, powered by the new force, generated enough thrust to overcome our planet’s gravity.
The Team Share Their Discovery
Dr. Buhler presented his team’s findings as well as the process by all of their work at the Alternative Propulsion Energy Conference (APEC).
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During his presentation, titled “The Discovery of Propellantless Propulsion: The Direct Conversion of Electrical Energy into Physical Thrust,” Buhler assured listeners his project was not affiliated with his former employer, NASA, or the US Government.
Mathematical Equations and Configurations
During his lengthy presentation, Buhler shed insight on numerous experiments carried out by his team, with a special focus on the past decade.
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This included the various mathematical equations used and the numerous models and configurations of their propellantless propulsion, which ultimately led the team to their historic breakthrough.
Buhler Explains History With Electrostatics
Following his talk, Buhler also joined APEC co-founder Tim Ventura for an interview, in which the engineer explained how his research in electrostatics led to the discovery of a potentially new force.
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“Nature has its own way of doing things,” Buhler explained, “and it is our job to uncover what nature does. It just happened to fall into my lap in what I’m the expert in.”
The Design of the Drive
Speaking on the material used in the drive, Buhler revealed they tried a wide variety of examples aimed at making the device as lightweight as possible.
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“Our materials are composed of many types of charge carrier coatings that have to be supported on a dielectric film,” Buhler told The Debrief. “Our aim is to make it as lightweight as possible, but that is sometimes difficult since the films and their coatings have to have a high dielectric breakdown strength.”
Underlying Physics Can Place Force on an Object
“Essentially, what we’ve discovered is that systems that contain an asymmetry in either electrostatic pressure or some kind of electrostatic divergent field can give a system of a center of mass a non-zero force component,” explained Buhler.
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“So, what that basically means is that there’s some underlying physics that can essentially place force on an object should those two constraints be met,” he wrote.
The Force of the Next Millenium
Speaking on defying whether the team’s device defies the laws of physics, Buhler said, “There are rules that include conservation of energy, but if done correctly, one can generate forces unlike anything humankind has done before.”
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He continued, “It will be this force that we will use to propel objects for the next 1,000 years until the next thing comes.”
Third-Party Research Must Be Carried Out
Plenty of third-party research must first be carried out before the potential breakthrough is considered legitimate. While many suggest it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Buhler’s team discovered a new force, many deem it unlikely.
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This is, in part, due to the history of propellantless drives, which have been filled with positive results only to later be debunked.
Unusual Result From Testing
According to Buhler, his team witnessed one unusual result during their testing, which suggests the device doesn’t need a constant electrical input to function.
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“We can see some of these things sit on a scale for days, and if they still have charge in them, they are still producing thrust,” he told Ventura. “It’s very hard to reconcile, from a scientific point of view, because it does seem to violate a lot of energy laws that we have,” he said.
Worries About Patent Infringement
When questioned about other companies working on similar propellant concepts, Buhler suggested his team’s work could explain some of the effects other companies are experiencing. However, he is worried that some recent devices may violate his patent.
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“The thing that we worry about are the companies that have appeared out of nowhere after the patent came out and had instant success without the years of rigor and no acknowledgment of our patent,” he said.
Happy to Share Expertise
Nonetheless, Buhler revealed he and his team are open to sharing their expertise in the field, and anyone is welcome to contact them at Exodus.
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“Knowledge of gas breakdown, corona generation, brush discharges, streamers, glow discharges, plasma physics, etc., is usually too much for engineers to bear alone,” he said, “and the number of experts in Electrostatics is very, very few.
Buhler Hopes For Additional Funding Through Patent
Buhler is hopeful his team can bring in additional funding through licensing their device.
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“We hope companies will want to license our technology, which is mutually beneficial,” he added. “We can help their technology and gain some funding for our time to do so.”
Buhler Admits Further Studies Are Required
Buhler himself has openly admitted that further testing should be carried out before any kind of celebration takes place.
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“It’s going to take a physicist much smarter than me to come up with all of that,” he said. However, the scientist suggested that researchers should be able to use their data and carry out their own tests to better understand the nature of what could potentially be a new force.
The Potential of the New Force
The scientific community will eagerly await the results of the rigorous testing that will take place in the coming years.
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Should they make a breakthrough confirming his teams discovered a new force capable of generating thrust without any kind of propellant, it could revolutionize the future of space travel and our understanding of the universe.