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An Engineer Says He’s Found a Way to Overcome Earth’s Gravity
(www.popularmechanics.com)
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this post was submitted on 02 May 2024
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Make it make sense
Gravity and vacuum are not mutually exclusive - you always have to deal with gravity forces, although they become negligible pretty quickly when you get into and then leave orbits.
As to the specific claim, I suspect that the experiments they are currently doing (in vacuum chambers on earth) have gotten to the point that they are measuring the propulsion system producing more thrust than it's own weight (T/W >1), which would technically be enough thrust to overcome gravity. Even if it wasn't practically useful for actually getting to orbit, that amount of thrust on a reactionless motor would be incredible, and would totally unlock the solar system for us.
And now it makes sense. Thank you!
You're not wrong, but it's worth noting that in low earth orbit (e.g. typical ISS orbiting altitude) earth's gravity is still 90% as strong as at sea level. Astronauts on the ISS are weightless not because they escaped earth's gravity, but because they're continuously falling.
its* own weight.
The... vomit comet?
https://www.livescience.com/29182-what-is-the-vomit-comet.html
If I remember right that is the slang term for a device used to simulated high force situations astronauts are expected to experience. So named for the frequent effect
Oh, interesting! Thanks for explaining.
It's so much more interesting than the parent comment makes it out to be, though. In case you didn't already read anything about it, it's an ordinary (on the outside) jet that flies in parabolic arcs which at a certain point lets the passengers experience microgravity and float around the modified cabin for a minute or so at a time. Anyone can go for a ride last I checked... if you have several thousand dollars laying around, anyway.
So in theory if you built a vacuum tube from the earths surface to "space" and sealed it at both ends you could have a frictionless elevator
I mean... sure. But you could do the same from the surface of Earth to the height of the Eiffel tower. Or my uncle Bob's third floor apartment.