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ComfortableIntern218 OP t1_jcb6zgr wrote

SS: I remember seeing something about this technology last year. Making a bold claim is one thing, but actually spending millions to go to space is another. I see they have a launch partner, so they must have something because companies don't just send things up on multi-million dollar launches for fun. If this thing actually works as intended, it could change space exploration. It's about time we get excited about space again. I wonder what they intend to do with this besides just Earth orbit missions?

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Houston_Here t1_jcb88a9 wrote

Highly verifiable too. If it is large enough the orbital tracking data will show dV quite clearly even if it is over a very long duration. I am excited but quite apprehensive. If the thing actually accelerates this will be very big news.

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ComfortableIntern218 OP t1_jcb92xs wrote

I agree. The data publicly available is very limited on their technology, but if I had a revolutionary technology, I would be pretty guarded about it, too. It is really cool to see a company actually follow through.

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Puzzleheaded_Phase98 t1_jco9hsd wrote

Drive is based on Mike McCulloch's Quantized Inertia (QI) theory. It gets lot of headwind partly because theory removes possibility of dark matter and lot of people in science circles are affraid of losing their funding.

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jusdisgi t1_jcs8xny wrote

>It gets lot of headwind partly because theory removes possibility of dark matter and lot of people in science circles are affraid of losing their funding.

Well, it could be getting lots of headwind because lots of people in science circles look at a company promising world-changing results without spelling out in detail how they are to be achieved and not working with anyone else in the scientific community and conclude it's likely not real. Or your conspiracy idea.

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Puzzleheaded_Phase98 t1_jct9lhf wrote

I meant QI theory, that it has seen lot of headwind not this IVO company his been working with. I've been following Mike Culloch's journey through his tweets. He is politically on the right so his theory has been getting bit headwinds of because his political views. Which is sad because science so be matter on its merits not how scientists view the world. So if you follow him expect some right wing stuff as well ;) DARPA for example has been funding him as well so they at least they thing something might be there.
Of course company would get headwinds as well because if they prove theory is right then quite likely all that huge funding for dark matter will be gone forever.

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jusdisgi t1_jcta7eo wrote

I was trying to get this across before, but so far have been unsuccessful. You seem to come up with every theory you can for why he gets "headwinds" except for the theory that other scientists genuinely think he is wrong in good faith. I see no reason to assume that all the other scientists in this space are either corrupt or blinded by politics. I think it is a much more reasonable explanation that they are simply unimpressed with his work.

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Puzzleheaded_Phase98 t1_jctus8n wrote

I understand you believe that but he has had his peer reviewed and already published papers blocked by arXiv for example and stuff like so I don't think good faith applies here at all.

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ComfortableIntern218 OP t1_jcsxfag wrote

Can you point me in the direction of the promising of world changing results? I see a company that is saying they have tested it and verified that it works in a vacuum chamber, and now they are going to space to test it. Why are people so afraid of the scientific method? Also, do you have communication with every one of these circles? You must if you know they haven't shared anything with anyone. It is refreshing to see a company not just make a bold claim but actually do something.

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jusdisgi t1_jct7gqc wrote

>Can you point me in the direction of the promising of world changing results?

The banner at the top of the front page of their website literally says "Imagine a discovery with the power to change the world of propulsion" and "it exceeds our imagination."

>Also, do you have communication with every one of these circles?

Not at all. The comment I replied to asserted without evidence that all the skeptics in the scientific community were skeptical of the idea because it would make them lose funding. I'm pointing out that there is an alternative theory that they might simply not believe the hype.

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ComfortableIntern218 OP t1_jctag3u wrote

That is not promising a result. It's simply making a statement. A propulsion device that uses only electricity would have the power to do exactly that. That would also clearly exceed our imagination, considering what we believe is possible does not align with what they are claiming their propulsion might do. None of that is a promise of results. Their most recent news also says, "after demonstration and baselining of the IVO Quantum Drive’s performance specifications," which means it is going to prove that it can work and to what extent. Obviously, they think it will work if they are willing to put up rocket launch money.

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jusdisgi t1_jctb6t9 wrote

>That is not promising a result. It's simply making a statement. A propulsion device that uses only electricity would have the power to do exactly that. That would also clearly exceed our imagination...

Well you can't have it both ways. You took issue with me saying they were making world changing claims, and now you say if their claims are borne out they'll be world-changing.

>Obviously, they think it will work if they are willing to put up rocket launch money.

This is far from obvious. They are getting funding. Lots and lots of times companies have made revolutionary claims that eventually turned out to be bunk and kept pushing to the next demonstration until it became untenable because that's how you keep money coming in. I don't know that will happen in this case, but the fact they are proposing a launch does not prove anything.

We will see, eventually. But their behavior up to now does not inspire confidence.

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ComfortableIntern218 OP t1_jcti6aw wrote

I will just agree to disagree. Skeptics always have a lot to say, but nobody remembers them. Not even the super edgy ones on Reddit. A company willing to publicly try and risk failing has my respect. I look forward to their results, pass or fail. Either way, we learn something we didn't know before.

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jusdisgi t1_jefv1cg wrote

This is hilarious. You really try to come off as a completely neutral arbiter with no slant at all. Meanwhile you have tried to slap down literally every person in the thread who voiced any skepticism that this is for real.

There are good reasons to think this is junk. It's not certain, but lots and lots of warning signs are flashing and many of them have been pointed out here. The fact they got somebody to fund them and have now said they are going to launch does not prove anything.

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ComfortableIntern218 OP t1_jeh47cb wrote

I have not. I am against people who shout a new technology down when we know almost nothing. I, too, am skeptical, but there is skepticism, and then there is just doubt backed by nothing. Skepticism is part of the scientific method. Claiming something won't work because you don't understand it sounds like a personal problem. I am yet to see anyone bring up a valid reason backed by data and knowledge of the technology in question.

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RevolutionaryTwo2631 t1_jcriy8s wrote

If I recall, isn’t this just another rehash of the “EmDrive” thing? The EmDrive was already proven to not work, at all. And now this “Quantum Drive” that supposedly works on the same principle.

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ComfortableIntern218 OP t1_jcswl4f wrote

No. The EmDrive and QI have literally nothing in common. QI or some form of it is supposedly how this drive works. Being a pure electric drive to me sounds like they are using electrons to do something. EmDrive used microwaves. So far as I can tell, the people who compare this to the EmDrive don't seem to understand how the EmDrive works (or doesn't work for that matter). If they start mentioning microwaves and a chamber, I will immediately retract this statement, but pure electric and QI have nothing in common with the EmDrive.

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Old-Tomorrow-3045 t1_je2lxb8 wrote

>actually spending millions

That launch is carrying micro- and nano- satellites. They could potentially only be spending thousands

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