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US 20020085661A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2002/0085661 A1 Retter (43) Pub. Date: Jul. 4, 2002 (54) PROPULSION SYSTEM FOR SPACE (57) ABSTRACT VEHICLE A propulsion system for a space vehicle is designed as a (76) Inventor: Dale J. Retter, Scottsdale, AZ (US) fully self-contained system which does not eject particles to Correspondence Address: effect the propulsion, referred to as a “reactionless drive”. LAVALLE D. PTAK Propulsion is effected by changing the mass of rings of LAW OFFICE OF LAVELLE PTAK charged particles by acceleration of the rings of charged 28435 N 42ND STREET particles to velocities near the speed of light and back to a SUITE B rest or near rest speed in an oscillatory rnanner. While this CAVE CREEK, AZ 85331 (US) is taking place, the charged particles are moved back-and forth Within a contained housing to impart thrust When the (21) Appl. No.: 09/753,305 large mass particles are moved, and alloWing the return of the low mass particles to the original starting place before (22) Filed: Dec. 30, 2000 irnparting high velocity rotation to increase the mass of the particles. The average velocity is less than the actual veloc Publication Classi?cation ity; so that if the vehicle is placed Within a singularity, the singularity rnight travel faster than light Without passing (51) Int. Cl.7 ........................... .. G21D 1/00; G21C 23/00 through a condition Where the vehicle rnass approaches (52) Us. 01. ............................................................ .. 376/318 in?nite rnass. Patent Application Publication Jul. 4, 2002 Sheet 1 0f 4 US 2002/0085661 A1 Patent Application Publication Jul. 4, 2002 Sheet 3 0f 4 US 2002/0085661 A1 Illllll 53530@500 Patent Application Publication Jul. 4, 2002 Sheet 4 0f 4 US 2002/0085661 A1 Cross Section Linear Rotational Comparative 6 070119 Side 0? Velocity Velocity or Mass of l Description of View paired engines 01 Ring Particles Particles ‘ 50 f O [ upper and lower rings of particles rotating slowly (well below light speed with mass near rest mass) upper ring is rotating 1 0 slow low clockwise. lower ring is rotating counter clockwise (as viewed 52. from above) T { 0 Upper and lower rings of particles still rotating slowly (well below 2 light speed with mass near rest mass). Both rings are occilated UP Slow ‘ow to near the top of their larger toroidal containment rings / @ Upper and lower rings of particles are now rotational 3 (3 High Medium accelerated in opposite directions (to cancel out each others torque) and their mass is consequently increase l 1/ 7 . Upper and lower rings of particles are now rotational 4 0 Very High High accelerated even faster to near light speed in opposite directions or rotation and their mass is consequently increase signi?cantly l g i Heavy very fast rotating rings are nowoocllated downward, 5 Down Very High High l producing an upward thrust on the vehrcie 6 l f @ Dovmwerd moving rings are now rotational slowed to reduce Down High. Medrum. their mass l f ( Rings are further slowed both rotational and in their linear 7 f downward motion 0 Slow Low 1 O The new light weight rings are brought back up to the center 8 1‘ up Srow Low position vw‘thin their larger toroidal containment rings, retuning the system to its starting position as depicted in view 1 above. US 2002/0085661 A1 Jul. 4, 2002 PROPULSION SYSTEM FOR SPACE VEHICLE [0006] Another approach taken by Mr. Millis is hypotheti cal ?eld drives, of Which four types, namely “diametric BACKGROUND drive”, “pitch drive”, “bias drive” and “disjunction drive” are presented. All of these are considered to induce an [0001] In order for a space craft to traverse the distances asymmetric ?eld, such that a gradient is located at the center to other planets, or even to other solar systems, long periods of the vehicle, or more speci?cally, at the center of Whatever of sustained thrust are necessary to achieve the substantial part of the vehicle Will experience a reaction force from the velocities required to reduce the travel time. A major limi ?eld. The asymmetric ?eld is required so that a net force is tation on the duration of thrust imposed by conventional created on the vehicle by these drives. Although four hypo propulsion systems is that these systems require the forceful thetical ?eld drives are discussed in this paper, the manner ejection of some type of reaction mass in order to produce in Which they can be produced in actuality is not disclosed. the thrust. No matter hoW much energy is available, mass must, by all knoWn prior art, be ejected from the vehicle in [0007] TWo recent articles available on the WorldWide order for the vehicle in space to achieve through its oWn computer netWork are “The Speed of Light—a Limit on actions, any acceleration. Principle ?“, Feb. 3, 1998 by Laro SchatZer and Superla minal Motion: Fact or Fiction ? by Ryan FreWin, Renee [0002] One of the basic laWs of motion, as stated by Isaac George, Deborah Paulson. Both of these papers deal With the NeWton, is that “every action has an equal and opposite assumption in contemporary physics that no object should reaction”. This laW frequently is interpreted to imply (What be able to travel faster than the speed of light. The reason heretofore also has been an empirical rule) that an internal given for this is that the relationship betWeen velocity and action cannot cause an external change in momentum. For mass is such that, hypothetically, at the speed of light the example, land vehicles act on the ground, airplanes and mass of an object becomes in?nite. The scienti?c analysis in ships act on the external ?uid mass contacting them. In both of these articles is that the speed of light may not be a accordance With this principle, a vehicle in space must true physical limit. Whether or not the speed of light is a impart an equal and opposite momentum change to ejected limit depends on the structure of the space-time continuum, mass in order for the vehicle to undergo a change in its Which presently is unknoWn. If absolute time (and a pre momentum. For example, With rocket propulsion, the ferred reference frame) exists, then faster than light speeds, momentum change imparted to a rocket is equal to the and even faster than light travel, are possible. momentum change imparted to the mass it has ejected as [0008] Although the theory of special relativity states rocket exhaust. against absolute time and superluminal phenomana, it does [0003] External forces, such as light, can cause a change so not by proof, but only by assumption. According to in momentum. There are problems, hoWever, inherent in the SchatZer, if our universe has a NeWtonian background, that propulsion of a vehicle being provided by a source external is if there is an absolute time underlying the space-time to the vehicle. These problems tend to increase With the continuum, then there is no thread on causality by superlu distance separating the vehicle from its external energy minal processes, because time travel and its paradoxes are source. excluded a priori. Thus, Within this frameWork, faster than light travel is possible in principle. Mr. SchatZer, hoWever, [0004] Recent developments by different physicists have concludes that in order to construct a propulsion mechanism opened the door to neW possibilities for propulsion systems for faster than light travel, exotic matter (With imaginary for space vehicles. An article by M. Millis, entitled “Chal mass) probably Would be needed in order to produce nega lenge to Create the Space Drive” in Journal of Propulsion tive energy densities in space. According to Mr. SchatZer, and Power (AIAA), Vol. 13, No. 5, pp 557-682 (September exotic matter is not knoWn to exist, although negative energy October 1997) is directed to this challenge. In this article, densities have been shoWn to appear in quantum ?eld theory. Mr. Millis explores the possibilities of a self-contained means of propulsion that requires no propellent. As de?ned [0009] In the FreWin et al. article, there is a discussion of various experiments Which measured the tunneling times of in this article, a space drive is an idealiZed form of propul sion Where the fundamental properties of matter and space visible light through optical ?lters, ?nding that tunneling time are used to create propulsive forces anyWhere in space, photons traveled at multiples of the speed of light through air. The conclusion reached by the authors is that conclusive Without having to carry and expel a reaction mass. Such an evidence is given for faster than light transmission of achievement, according to Mr. Millis, Would revolutioniZe smoothly varying functions, such as that of a particle Wave space travel, as it Would circumvent the present constraint of requiring a propellant. In this article, seven different hypo packet. In the opinion of the authors, this means that it is thetical propulsion concepts have been considered. All of the possible for an object to have a velocity greater than that of concepts Were envisioned by considering analogies to col light. As stated in this article, “Einstein causality rules out lision forces and interactions With ?elds to produce net the propagation of any signal traveling faster than light, but it does not limit the group velocity of electromagnetic forces. propagation.” [0005] One technique by Which a space vehicle may be [0010] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a means by propelled utiliZes collision sails. In order for this hypotheti Which a vehicle in space may cause its oWn velocity and cal technique to Work, the medium of space may be con direction of travel to be altered Without the ejection of sidered as a form of isotropic medium Which is constantly reaction mass.