New Propulsion System: Em-drive

[Eddy-B]

From science fiction to science FACT:  the EM-drive is a propulsion system that turns electricity directly into momentum. It has been rediculed by other scientists, but the inventor/discoveror of the EM-drive, Roger Shawyer states that it works in theory and now the Cinese confirm that it works in practice as well as they have built a demo version of the Electro-Magnetic drive.

It is even rumoured that the Shenzhou-7 mission is bringing the Emdrive demo into space for testing.

Calculations predict that, using the Emdrive, a trip to Mars would take 41 days only, compared to 9 months as NASA would estimate, using current technology.


Source:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/09/chinese-buildin.html

[Sirbomber]

Excellent.  Let's go to Mars and build a colony/outpost/base.  We can then call it Eden or Mars City.  If we name it Eden, we'll do terraforming research and hope we don't get eaten by terraforming microbes.  If we name it Mars City, we'll work on interdimensional teleportation and hope we don't open a portal that allows demons to come through and kill us all.

[Freeza-CII]

any more info on this "drive"?
 

[Axen]

We need to see a test.  Also, it may be that this drive is not more efficient than other drives in development.

The Emdrive is "electrically powered".  To produce this electrical energy efficiently, we must use a fuel cell or solar panels.  As a physics student, an educated guess tells me solar panels will not provide enough energy to make a quick transit toward the outer-planets.  Thus, the main energy supply should come from a fuel cell.

If this drive works, one need simple compare efficiencies with an ion thruster, for example.