Fuel Free Spacecrafts Using Graphene

Posted by samzenpus on Monday June 1, 2015 @11:04AM from the to-the-stars-and-beyond dept.

William Robinson writes: While using a laser to cut a sponge made of crumpled sheets of Graphene oxide, researchers accidentally discovered that it can turn light into motion. As the laser cut into the material, it mysteriously propelled forward. Baffled, researchers investigated further. The Graphene material was put in a vacuum and again shot with a laser. Incredibly, the laser still pushed the sponge forward, and by as much as 40 centimeters. Researchers even got the Graphene to move by focusing ordinary sunlight on it with a lens. Though scientists are not sure why this happens, they are excited with new possibilities such as light propelled spacecraft that does not need fuel.

1 of 265 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Re:Even More Thrust by Anonymous Coward · 2015-06-01 13:09 · Score: 5, Informative

Not any ordinary Xenon, but 136Xe.
In the various Ion Engines designed, built, and occasionally functioning, 136 Xe is the propulsive gas of choice, and pretty much all of the (Unclassified) Literature on the Subject refer only to it.
Under Plasma conditions, Xenon is anything but inert, and there is at least one (Relatively) stable 136xe-3He compound that is only chemically stable when Ionized.
This is also true with certain Helium Hydrides, but for Propulsion purposes, one needs as much Nuclear Mass that is easily Ionized to High Charge States as possible.
They wouldn't let us play with Radon.