A Charles Buhler former NASA engineer has claimed to have invented a space jet less engine that does not require fuel.
Charles Buhler, a former NASA engineer and co-founder of startup Exodus Propulsion Technologies, said his company has developed a space jet less engine for space travel. According to the developers, the device generates enough thrust to counteract Earth’s gravity without ejecting mass.
Buhler and his team began investigating the concept of a fuel-less engine more than two decades ago. Their propulsion drive employs electrostatic pressure asymmetry to generate thrust. The team presented their drive concept at a recent alternative energy conference.
The team’s approach involves the use of electric fields to create a steady force and move the centre of gravity of an object without displacing some of the mass. This is achieved by employing multiple types of charge carrier coatings held on a dielectric film.
The engineer additionally noted that the propulsion system developed by the company has demonstrated the ability to generate a force equivalent to that of Earth’s gravity without ejecting mass through the propellant. The company has claimed to have discovered a new force that is different from any previously known. Should Buhler and his team’s claims be validated, the propulsion experiments are likely to represent a significant breakthrough. A system that does not utilise rocket fuel would result in a significant reduction in costs, enabling missions to be conducted over longer distances and revolutionising spaceflight. However, this is not the first instance in which startups have claimed to have invented radical new types of propulsion. Consequently, the discovery awaits thorough testing by sceptical scientists, demonstrating the effectiveness of the devices in experiments and, ideally, in open space. The credibility of the project is further enhanced by the history of the company’s founder, who has previously worked on NASA programmes such as the International Space Station and the Hubble telescope.
