An Egyptian Teenager Has Created A Next Generation Quantum Space Propulsion System

On 5/30/12 10:39 AM, David Brandt-Erichsen wrote:

http://inhabitat.com/an-egyptian-teenager-has-created-a-next-generation-quantum-space-propulsion-system/
>
> Yeah, right. Good luck with that one.

Yes, that's my initial reaction too. Usually (well, ALWAYS, so far),
when somebody believes they've found a free lunch, it means they've
overlooked something.

Still, the dynamic Casimir effect is interesting, and was only recently
experimentally demonstrated. I wouldn't entirely rule out the
possibility that there is some clever use of it for propulsion -- some
way to convert energy to momentum more efficiently than a photon drive.
You'd still need ridiculous amounts of power (I'm not buying the
"solar powered" claim at all), but if we ever get practical fusion, we
might have power enough then.

Best,
- Joe