• jordanlund@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    They did this on Mythbusters in small scale years ago and the science of it is fascinating.

    I don’t think it would do much to break orbit, but once IN space it could be interesting.

    https://youtu.be/UCiU96rJJoo

    This is what they were testing:

    https://youtu.be/006d36WWyaQ

    You take a lightweight balsawood frame, wrap it in tinfoil and lightweight wire, then pump high voltages through it.

    https://hackaday.com/2016/07/13/expanding-horizons-with-the-ion-propelled-lifter/

    • macarthur_park@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Note that what the mythbusters looked at was a form of ion propulsion. The high voltage on the sharp boundary of the aluminum foil repels air molecules. If you put one of those in a vacuum (or space) it wouldn’t have any thrust.

      • threelonmusketeers
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        7 months ago

        If you put one of those in a vacuum (or space) it wouldn’t have any thrust.

        IIRC, the MythBusters did exactly that later in the episode. Unsurprisdngly, the devices produced no thrust in a vacuum chamber.

    • ferret
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      7 months ago

      That isn’t propellant-less. The propellant is air, and in space where there is no atmosphere they typically use xeon gas