When might somehow be important but if you take the process to the extreme you get a result that doesn't make any sense. For example, if the spaceship continues to use up its mass in a constant acceleration process that requires power and thus energy to be expended for the drive, then eventually there will be no mass left at all. All of the original mass is lost if this takes place. That does not make sense.
A standard rocket does not have an issue of this type since the energy and any missing mass ends up in the exhaust stream. It can all be accounted for even in such an extreme event. I propose that a normal classical physical rocket or process that obeys the conservation laws actually can be boiled down to a simple rule. A device in free space without interference from other matter and forces will maintain its center of mass and rotation at one point in space. So, for a rocket of this type, all of the mass expended as exhaust can be located and summed up with the remaining rocket such that the center of mass remains constant in space. That rule reveals why a multistage rocket can reach such high velocities for the payload. Most of the mass, including the earlier stage rocket frames are left behind to contribute components to the center of mass equation. Dave -----Original Message----- From: Roarty, Francis X <[email protected]> To: vortex-l <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, Mar 15, 2016 8:08 am Subject: RE: EXTERNAL: Re: [Vo]:Re: EM Drive(s) Perhaps "when" did the mass go answers the question better to explain the spatial imbalance. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, March 14, 2016 5:15 PM To: [email protected] Subject: EXTERNAL: Re: [Vo]:Re: EM Drive(s) In reply to David Roberson's message of Mon, 14 Mar 2016 14:44:33 -0400: Hi, [snip] >From the EM drive's point of view the CoE must be violated because as it >accelerates in space a portion of it's mass must be converted into energy that >is used to power the drive. When it ceases to use the drive it begins to >remain motionless in space from its point of view. Where did that mass go >which was converted into energy that powered the drive? Did it simply vanish? When a electric car drives down the road, where does the expended energy show up in the reference frame of the car? Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html
