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Here is a good summary of the state of EmDrive testing (as of a year ago): https://www.reddit.com/comments/34cq1b/ https://www.reddit.com/comments/34cq1b/ TL;D

Here is a good summary of the state of EmDrive testing (as of a year ago): https://www.reddit.com/comments/34cq1b/ https://www.reddit.com/comments/34cq1b/ TL;DR - a small, experimental division within NASA called Eagleworks tested the device. They are a very small group with very limited funding tasked with exploring unconventional theories around advanced propulsion. Their results were not published in a peer-reviewed journal, and there is considerable disagreement as to the validity of their experiment. They are continuing to refine their experiments, and the last update provided is that they intend to publish a peer-reviewed paper describing an experiment that successfully breached 100uN of thrust, which was the target needed for JPL and others to attempt to replicate their results.

HCIdivision17 11y ago
Thanks for the link - that comment is great. I gotta quote one line that is just cool, though: 4. A test at 50 W of power during which an interferometer (a modified Michelson device) was used to measure the stretching and compressing of spacetime within the device, which produced initial results that were consistent with an Alcubierre drive fluctuation. Which is just really cool. The followup sums up my fascination with the whole thing niceley: Test #4 was performed, essentially, on a whim by the research team as they were bouncing ideas off each other, and was entirely unexpected. They are extremely hesitant to draw any conclusions based on test #4, although they certainly found it interesting. That right there is science in progress: a hint of something interesting, a test leading to another test leading to another, each interesting in their own right. It's still not clear if something spectacular is going on, but I think it's undeniably interesting. Careful reexamination can yeild all manner of useful insights! (Off topic, but along the lines of closer examination, see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9020065 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9020065 for how some careful (and extensive!) experimentation helped illuminate sodium's reaction with water. Not just how much work was needed to tease out the details!)
- noir_lord 11y ago
  > The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...' - Isaac Asimov. This could be complete bunkum but it's fun watching anyway as an interested bystander.
- imglorp 11y ago
  If that thing is really stretching and compressing spacetime, and a Michaelson Morely interferometer can see that in theory, then something like LIGO would be equipped to measure it.

HCIdivision17 11y ago

Thanks for the link - that comment is great. I gotta quote one line that is just cool, though: 4. A test at 50 W of power during which an interferometer (a modified Michelson device) was used to measure the stretching and compressing of spacetime within the device, which produced initial results that were consistent with an Alcubierre drive fluctuation. Which is just really cool. The followup sums up my fascination with the whole thing niceley: Test #4 was performed, essentially, on a whim by the research team as they were bouncing ideas off each other, and was entirely unexpected. They are extremely hesitant to draw any conclusions based on test #4, although they certainly found it interesting. That right there is science in progress: a hint of something interesting, a test leading to another test leading to another, each interesting in their own right. It's still not clear if something spectacular is going on, but I think it's undeniably interesting. Careful reexamination can yeild all manner of useful insights! (Off topic, but along the lines of closer examination, see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9020065 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9020065 for how some careful (and extensive!) experimentation helped illuminate sodium's reaction with water. Not just how much work was needed to tease out the details!)

noir_lord 11y ago
> The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...' - Isaac Asimov. This could be complete bunkum but it's fun watching anyway as an interested bystander.
imglorp 11y ago
If that thing is really stretching and compressing spacetime, and a Michaelson Morely interferometer can see that in theory, then something like LIGO would be equipped to measure it.