General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: NASA Tests "Impossible" Perpetual Motion Drive; Says it Works [View all]jeff47
(26,549 posts)Here's an earlier post on DU with a much better article: http://www.democraticunderground.com/122831229
The effect is caused by firing microwaves through the chamber. Those microwaves are generated using electricity.
What makes this "fuel free" is you're not burning fuel for thrust. But you still need an energy source to generate microwaves.
What makes it work for "long distance" is you could use an RTG for electricity, as in the Voyager probes. But you still need a source of electricity.
But what makes it not work at all for long distance is the thrust is very small. But it is high enough to work for satellites, if the previous experiments in the UK and China are correct. In this NASA experiment, they didn't get nearly as much thrust.