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The Helical engine is a proposed spacecraft propulsion drive that, like other "reactionless" drives, would violate the laws of physics. The concept was proposed by David M. Burns, a NASA engineer at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and currently NASA's Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration.[1] He wrote a paper published by NASA in 2019 describing it as "A new concept for in-space propulsion is proposed in which propellant is not ejected from the engine, but instead is captured to create a nearly infinite specific impulse".[2][3][4][5]

The engine accelerates ions confined in a closed loop, and then varies their velocity to change momentum. Afterwards, the engine moves the ions back and forth in order to produce thrust. The proposed engine is mainly intended to be used for long-term satellite station-keeping without the need of refueling. It has no moving components other than the ions trapped inside electric and magnetic fields, and traveling in a closed-loop vacuum line.[6]


References

  1. ^ "Dr. David Burns, Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration | Science Mission Directorate". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
  2. ^ "NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)" (PDF). ntrs.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  3. ^ Siegel, Ethan. "For The Last Time, No, A NASA Engineer Has Not Broken Physics With An Impossible Engine". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  4. ^ Cartwright, Jon. "NASA engineer's 'helical engine' may violate the laws of physics". New Scientist. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  5. ^ Koberlein, Brian (2019-10-16). "NASA Engineer Has A Great Idea for a High-Speed Spacedrive. Too Bad it Violates the Laws of Physics". Universe Today. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  6. ^ Burns, David M. (2019-08-16), "Helical Engine", AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2019 Forum, AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, doi:10.2514/6.2019-4395, retrieved 2021-03-01
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