Vortex,
This discussion over whether or not Shawyer's theory is correct or not is
pointless and the wrong subject. You can prove or disprove anything if you have
enough mathematical and speculative handwaving to say what you want to say.
The two points that SHOULD be very carefully considered are,
1. Whether or not it works. It doesn't matter if the theory is right or wrong.
What matters is whether or not it produces a thrust that is truly
'reactionless'. Meaning, not expelling matter or energy, or if it expels
energy, giving more thrust per energy input than an equal photon drive. If it
works, then the theoretical physicists who said it couldn't should be all
sacked. Then the technology should be developed. As far as I am aware, with
those I've communicated with about this, the problems of heat causing
convection effects have not been ruled out. The weighing methods haven't been
very good, especially when you've got a microwave source this powerful hanging
around nearby. I've worked on many different concepts for reactionless
thrusters, and I can tell you from experience, there are MANY MANY MANY
'gotchas' that can bite you. They will almost invariably come from the one
place you DIDN'T think to look. On a more personal level, I'd love to see a
reactionless engine work. If for no other reason (primal, I admit), than to
see a lot of so-called scientist's reputations destroyed and the physics
house-of-cards utterly trashed.
2. No one has discussed this....so I will. And it is as on topic as screaming
about overweight people and suggesting that vegetarian cats are good things to
have around. China should NOT BE BUILDING ANYTHING THAT WILL GIVE THEM AN
ADVANTAGE IN SPACE! Does anyone remember Tiananmen Square? The three powers
that should be working on this should be the USA, the EU, or Japan. China
should have no involvement in this whatsoever, given their atrocious human
right's violations. You think the USA is bad? Go see what the Chinese do. There
is no comparison. But everyone these days, Liberal or Conservative, seem to
have a sick love affair with China. The USA can't build a power plant, but
China can build dozens and dozens of unscrubbed coal-burners. They can have a
population so oppressed that there is no hope whatsoever, and that's okay. It's
not that they are bad...it's just that we in the USA and the other 'decadent'
countries are too 'good off.'
Once you have the high-ground, space in this case, you can do almost anything
you want and get away with it. There is little defense. China, in its current
state, has NO business occupying this top rung of the ladder. Last night, after
reading about this, was incredibly depressing for me. It shows how badly my
country, and so many others, have sold out their industry and ingenuity to an
enemy regime that cares NOTHING for human life, for but a fistful of dollars
and euros. If anyone in the USA, the EU, Japan, or any other free nation (they
are, compared to China), has any sense left, they should research this and
leave China in the dust. Hell, how about Taiwan? AKA, the nation that the USA
stupidly refuses to admit exists. I'd support a Taiwanese space program, if for
no other reason than telling China: "We don't care about your threats, we don't
need your poisonous cat food and toys, we don't need your slave-labor produced
garbage. And guess what?
Taiwan don't belong to you any more, their purpose is their own, so go f**k
yourselves and leave them alone to their own destiny. And by the way, if you
want to exist in the next 100 years, you'd better consider releasing Tibet."
If Shawyer and his company willingly gave this over to the Chinese, especially
if money was involved, then he is worse than the worst, in my book. What
happened to the UK's national pride? Where has it gone?
Think I'll go listen to Roger Waters' "The Final Cut." It seems appropriate.
--Kyle
P.S., if you think I'm defending the myriad nasty things the USA has (and/or
is) doing, don't bother replying. It is simply a question of who is more evil
in the absolute sense. That does matter when you are talking about human lives.
