David Burns, who funded the research privately, says he is aware of the huge pitfalls in the concept.
An engineer who works for NASA has put forward a proposal for a new way to travel through interstellar space—a"helical engine" that could, potentially, push a spacecraft forward without the need for any propellant at all.space agency's Technical Reports Server
, which provides access to documents relating to aerospace that were created or funded by NASA, including meetings, journal papers, reports and patents, among others. Burns' research, which he funded himself, is described as an"attempt to define an in-space propulsion engine that does not expend propellant."
He says he is aware of the pitfalls of the work, saying the idea is a thought experiment and even the"basic concept is unproven." However, speaking towhich first reported on his work—Burns said he is prepared for any and all criticism."If someone says it doesn't work, I'll be the first to say, it was worth a shot," he told the magazine."You have to be prepared to be embarrassed.
Stock photo representing interstellar space travel. Current technology means space travel is expensive, slow and limited.There are huge engineering challenges relating to space travel. It is very slow—NASA's Voyager and New Horizons would take tens of thousands of years to reach our closest neighbouring star, Alpha Centauri, which sits about four light years away. It's also extremely expensive.
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