Rockets are powerful machines that can launch satellites into orbit and send spacecraft to the outer reaches of the solar system. They do have their limits, however; conventional chemical rockets are expensive to use because of the propellant they need. But what if rockets no longer needed fuel for propulsion? The amazing theory of quantized inertia (QI) proposes just that scenario. The concept is relatively simple. You just need to convert Unruh radiation – a theorized form of quantum particles – into thrust. This week (September 17, 2018), the University of Plymouth in the U.K. announced that one of its researchers has received U.S. government funding to explore this idea.
The controversial but fascinating proposal comes from physicist Mike McCulloch. He first proposed the idea way back in 2007, but now the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) – an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense – is getting involved, granting $1.3 million towards a four-year study into the concept. The research is being funded through DARPA’s Nascent Light-Matter Interactions program, whose stated purpose is to improve fundamental understanding of how to control the interaction of light and engineered materials.
McCulloch’s statement from University of Plymouth said that, if a new kind of thruster could be developed that only required electrical power, it could make rockets both cheaper and safer to use.
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