Related Sections: Future Tech
Future spacecrafts to use magnetic fields to move?
Future spacecrafts may use the magnetic fields around Earth and other planets to bounce around the Solar System, providing a completely new method of space travel. It's all very complicated if you aren't some sort of rocket scientist, but the basic idea involves using radioactively charge particles to propel a craft with no rocket boosters required.
What would be really exciting about this is that once a craft got out into the solar system, it could use planets such as Jupiter, which magnetic fields far stronger than ours, as a new launching off point, sending them speeding in a different direction. It would make our solar system a sort of cosmic pinball machine, with crafts able to bounce between them to get where they're going. Will this actually become a reality? Who knows, but it's certainly a pretty sweet idea.
Via New Scientist
By PwntToast at 1:03 AM ON 03/30/07
umm... its about ****in time! They should be putting all their money into this instead of researching rocket boosters or jet engines, since magnetic or gravitational propulsion is the only method capable of reaching a considerable fraction of lightspeed (although right now NASA should prioritize inertial "dampening" as we already have craft capable of high speeds but can't really fully utilize it because our bodies can't take the strain.
By not_human at 9:12 AM ON 04/03/07
Leaving radioactively charged contrails across the solar system, eh? I don't need to be a rocket scientist to see the implications in this...
By jimrave at 2:56 AM ON 04/21/07
Warp speed here we come. LOL!! All we need now is Kurk
By refresh7 at 7:38 PM ON 08/05/08
With my estimates,a magenet near juiter would make it go to no more than about three fourths of lightspeed.This is what nasa should be making.I bet my dog can make a rocket better than nasa.
By diane at 9:27 PM ON 12/10/08
wow!!
will be waiting!
By sunjester at 12:02 PM ON 02/14/09
this is a primative attempt,at a more improved version used thousands of years ago by our ancestors.check out the indian texts in particular.very insightful.
By Joy at 8:56 AM ON 10/30/09
Great dude!!!Why didn't I think of this?!!!
By hello at 11:23 PM ON 12/22/09
The time it would take to get from planet to planet would take way to long. Without proper tests like say, around NUCLEAR ACTIVITY like the sun, it is highly unlikely that this will operate properly.
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The time it would take to get from planet to planet would take way to long. Without proper tests like say, around N...More »