Two Scientists Are Building a Real Star Trek 'Impulse Engine'

Space may be the final frontier, but we can't go far on rocket fuel. Now, two scientists are working on a device that may one day make the "impulse engine" from Star Trek real.
For more information about the MEGA Drive concept:
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
www.nasa.gov/sites/default/fi...
#Moonshot #Science #BloombergQuicktake
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[@yourdeadfeet]

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”

[@andrewmaperson]

yes

[@jaymac7203]

Ricky Gervais to Karl Pilkington. Lool 😂

[@eventfulnonsense]

A beautiful quote ♥️

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

That's a beautiful quote but you never gave anyone credit for it. Is it anonymous? Is it you?

[@tisrettamton153]

@@PaulTheSkeptic Greek Proverb

[@MrFlexNC]

I have a soft spot for old scientists devoting their lives to one particular question

[@solver55]

🤣rick

[@Qwerty-qy9oj]

Wabalabadubdub

[@shaun906]

pickle Rick...🥒 actually it reminds me of SABRE and skylon in the uk

[@willymakeit5172]

Don’t know about these other replies, but I’m in your corner.

[@justkiddin1980]

It also can be a problem if it turns out the science is bust...

[@johnhiggs5932]

Real science happens at the edge and it requires a person bold enough to risk being wrong. No matter the outcome, I applaud these daring people!

[@Piddlefoots]

This will go no where. This is just a scam for funding. That could have been spent on better things.

[@Pelletajuton1]

@@Piddlefoots Could you explain? Frontier science is always difficult to justify before the effects of a possible discovery are understood.. If the theory would turn out true, it could probably be applied to a huge variety of other fields than space travel, even though efficient space travel itself could result in moving some of our destructive behaviors off the planet we're currently destroying.. i myself don't really believe that this kind of inertial drive would be made to work, but i've been wrong before, and would like nothing more than to be proven wrong about something like this. My belief that it wouldn't work is nothing more than a belief, neither is yours. Even if you tried this same thing and didn't get it to work, it only proves that YOU didn't get it to work, not that it's impossible.

[@Piddlefoots]

@@Pelletajuton1 In short, it requires negative energy densities, which can't be strictly disproven but are probably unrealistic; the total amount of energy is likely to be equivalent to the mass-energy of an astrophysical body; like EARTH, the ENTIRE Earth, burnt as fuel, following, and the gravitational fields produced would likely rip any ship to shreds. Sean Carrol's estimate of the likelihood we will ever be able to build a "warp drive" is much less than 1%. And the chances it will happen in the next hundred years I would put at less than 0.01%. But they are very pretty pictures! Would look great in a movie.

[@belken117]

Absolutely well said!

[@Piddlefoots]

@@Pelletajuton1 Some of us in the real world have a scientific degree, and we know how hard real science can be, and the limits of the laws of physics are not something we can just break willy nilly with sci fi fantasy, like negative energy, in our world, we REQUIRE real testable evidence to confirm such facts......Less it not be a fact........Following ?

[@clanpsi]

Even if it turns out to not work, I'm still really proud that there people like these guys who are pushing the boundaries. True pioneers.

[@dingdong2103]

What's interesting is that many times scientists draw inspiration from science fiction and actually manage to make it work. It's like fiction predicts the future. We should all start to write about amazing things in the hope of making them true one day :)

[@michaelarnold1672]

The works of this man & men will live on for 1,000's of years as people cook off of Woodward's Recipe's ,

[@kathleenmann7311]

Imagination is just as important as knowledge.

[@ianp3112]

@@kathleenmann7311 only if you can differentiate between fact and fiction, fantasy vs reality!

[@ianp3112]

So in your view, scam artists are pioneers just because you wish it so!

[@LukePuplett]

I need to pull that quote out by Mike McDonald, "Science isn't a tool that gets dirtied by use" because that's just as important in business as it is in theoretical physics.

[@PHlophe]

When i read that, i just went " Whew ! Chile, you took me out ".

[@FBandSpin]

It’s a great, truthful liner! Applicable is so many fields. I loved everything he said.

[@gregorygolando]

But scientists do.

[@tonysamaniego7875]

Not sure about that...in business you have to be conscious of costs, so you can’t just experiment away with every idea. It might not get dirty but it sure gets expensive.

[@dakinmaher4522]

Agreed

[@Ohmriginal722]

I hope this 79 year old at least gets to see his idea tested in space. If it gets debunked like the EM drive, and I expect it will, so be it, but often science is all about finding 99 ideas that won't work before you find 1 idea that does, but those 99 ideas still taught you something, and I hope this teaches us something as well.

[@gracialonignasiver6302]

I doubt it will work, but I really hope he gets to see his idea tested in space.

[@cedriceric9730]

@@gorgthesalty and engineers have found that it could even be used to create enough negative matter for a wormhole By disconnecting a body completely from inertia the body's electrons act as negative matter You don't even need that much mass to begin with due to some wierd quantum effect That mass can hold a wormhole throat open as long as you can maintain it! That's even better than a warp drive since Even at Mach 10 of light it still takes too much time on a cosmological scale to reach bodies of interest

[@OktavianiFriska]

Agree, this is what we should learn on school. Even we learn about theory, they should push us to make another theory or technology

[@chrisbraid2907]

If it does work I hope that they can scale it to useful size …. We really won’t know until we try …

[@TheBreezus]

@@chrisbraid2907 I share the same sentiment. We should try. We won't know until we try.

[@greggwilliamson]

I love the researcher's attitude!! That is exactly the way Real Science is done. I don't know who said it (sorry), but I've heard it quoted, "Great discoveries are not always the experiments intended outcome. It's when the Scientist looks at the results and thinks, *that's odd*"

[@schubertuk]

I think that was the late, great Isaac Asimov: “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka! ' but 'That's funny…'” The quote says "that's funny" rather than odd, but meant as 'peculiar' rather than funny-ha-ha

[@alanmalcheski8882]

well that makes me... a really great discovery, then. The best kind.

[@peppeddu]

We built the International Space Station *specifically* to study these kind of things. Why not send a prototype over there and study it over a period of months and see if it actually works? I'm sure it's better than growing peppers, torturing insects or sending people to make movies.

[@jamiemezs9891]

Because that would make sense and you know the politicians would never go for it.

[@MrFujinko]

Almost all of the science made in the ISS could have been done in specialized satellites for a fraction of the cost. The ISS existence is largely political. And it has been an absolute success in this regard. Regarding science, it effects are net negative. The biggest cost is to maintain humans alive in space. As many experiments do not need humans per se, they could have been realized in crafts not human rated.

[@edwardj.coxjr.3031]

NRL and NASA get this going ASAP!

[@jessepollard7132]

but much less profitable than the movies.

[@tapewerm6716]

@@MrFujinko How has it been an absolute success when the U.S. and NATO are engaged in a proxy war with Russia?

[@Zorlof]

Never mind the drive, this 79 year old man is the treasure.

[@OktavianiFriska]

Agree, what if his brain and Einstein brain is communicating on giant vial and talking about gravity and stuff, we already on the space like on jupiter or even several lightyears

[@ForgeMasterXXL]

Total agree and his dedication, even if it does not work is amazing.

[@steady3459]

COMMON WE HAVE ZERO POINT ENERGY THE CABAL ARE HORDING !

[@pjm760]

And his speech is made of gold

[@igkslife]

The drive is possible, and will work.

[@business]

"I'm 79-years-old. I don't know how long I'm going to live. Maybe I'll see something in space, maybe I won't. If I live longer than that, I'm pretty sure I will see something in space. Science fiction will be vindicated as transformed into science fact in that regard." - Professor Jim Woodward To learn more about the MEGA Drive concept, read the white paper here: www.researchgate.net/publication/269207998_Theory_of_a_Mach_Effect_Thruster_I

[@polychoron]

Best of luck, Jim. Live long & prosper.

[@pedoboybear3792]

Do everything to bring your body outside of the planet earth to see the reality beyond your body vs the Spirit/Consciousness if they separated by Death and no hades can restrained on you after you escaped on to god's curse within this planet I try hard to Discover the God's truth but ended up in the Devils traps same like Judas failed on its own and don't succeeded until the right time.

[@nixl3518]

@Fun With Minerals what does "cor" mean?

[@nixl3518]

@Fun With Minerals he obviously has some health issues.

[@nixl3518]

​@Fun With Minerals I don't really understand your comment. Nobody here is discussing the aging process or what happens when you're over 30. This man does not look like a man of 79 but a man with severe health issues that make him appear to be over 100 years old! You obviously have no experience with older people to make a comment of this kind.

[@MichaelGalt]

I love seeing old scientists like that still working and trying to and making significant contributions. It's too bad he probably won't see it make it to the real-world application phase... but hopefully he has children/grandchildren who will.

[@warrencurtis7442]

Hopefully he'll get some credit.

[@baogiangtran1647]

I felt the same

[@alanmalcheski8882]

you must be saying that because you're not clear on what they're saying or how it works. I believe that if you were, you'd know that it's entirely possible and there's no reason that it shouldn't have been done already, and probably was. Piezo is a technology that was used in "fake" spaceships 80 years ago. Sure it had bigger crystals but it's piezo. You wanna know how a substance can change mass? the Higgs field, it exists. Not a secret if you study, just one of those things nobody will admit publicly.

[@alanmalcheski8882]

... and I said Field, not particle. Big difference. If you won't take the time to look into quantum physics, the power of the universe will never be revealed to you. money.

[@oeliamoya9796]

When I see these old scientists dedicating their entire life to one topic of research, I wish these great men had longer lifespans to keep pushing the limits of our knowledge

[@CarlosMercadoINIGTDY]

These guys are real scientist. Sceptical to the core, as a scientist should always be.

[@leaguemastergg3647]

though I wonder if this will be another 3x+1 rabbit hole that isn't provable or disprovable

[@dijasom]

He's looking for the resonant frequency of gravity, he just doesn't seem to understand that yet. When you use sound, to vibrate Crystal to shattering, that is a runaway resonant chain reaction. The same can be done with pretty much any material, just the effect is different. For instance, in a liquid, it would create a wave, that would then come back, and be propelled again away, etc, etc. Do this right, and you have propulsion. Gravity is everywhere, so it would be really, really hard to find it, as its hard to make something, prefer a direction, when all directions oppose the system. Think of gravity as water, though we have no idea, where the shore is for testing what its like without it. What he's doing, can't be disproven, as he is right... though, his instrument, isn't likely built correctly, and that particular instrument, could be disproven. It would go a much farther way, for him to prove, he could create a Water based "Thruster" with no "moving" parts, rather than gravity... as that is orders of magnitude harder, as its Far, less viscous.

[@imengaginginclown-to-clown9363]

@@leaguemastergg3647 It is unknown if the Collatz conjecture is independent of ZFC.

[@Antebios]

@@leaguemastergg3647 Ah, I see you're a Veritasium person as well.

[@zyansheep]

@@leaguemastergg3647 It's a different kind of provable / disprovable. With math, we invent the framework, the rules for how it works. With physics we are testing things out to see if our models are accurate or not.

[@Ash-yh5yn]

"Gee guys, I'm really sorry. You know, it wasn't real after all." The fact that he's willing to own up to being wrong if he's proven wrong makes me adore this guy. I hope this works out for him :)

[@rogerjamespaul5528]

Obviously not a Trumpian.

[@harrier331]

@MichaelKingsfordGray And neither is yours... how does that make him a hypocrite...

[@bongo3997]

@@rogerjamespaul5528 whats a Trumpian?

[@Ash-yh5yn]

@@harrier331 You know, my initials are actually A.S.H.

[@mr.zafner8295]

You hope it works out for him? I hope it works out for all mankind

[@goldiz1978]

It would be interesting to see something like this tested in zero gravity.

[@timmo971]

I found it interesting that whoever built the graphic of the boat rowing @3:55 doesn’t even know which direction a rowing boat goes.

[@2019inuyasha]

normally the person rowing moves backwards. there is a system that can installed that changes the normal paddling direction to move you forwards however.

[@fancyIOP]

Jim should be relaxing at home at his age but he doesn’t wanna let his knowledge relax and die out. Big ups to the old people who are still active to make a change.🙌🏿👊🏿

[@esecallum]

MOST PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 25 ARE DISMISSED AS TOO OLD.

[@fancyIOP]

@@esecallum haha I hear you but you can see that Jim still has a mind of a 20yr old… he doesn’t wanna give up, he loves what he’s doing. So I guess it’s the drive within that keeps us going and he has a lot of it.

[@esecallum]

@Peter Evans with people like YOU we would still be in the caves.

[@phildavenport4150]

@@esecallum And this is relevant to the topic - how?

[@fancyIOP]

@Peter Evans indeed buddy, indeed.

[@taithai8726]

This level of devotion is just insane. Much respect!!

[@thewealthand_health]

You have to be insane to comprehend the science 🧪 🔬⚙️

[@OktavianiFriska]

@@thewealthand_health LeL, like what Einstein say

[@chrishayes5755]

can tell all that studying and working the the laboratory took a hard toll on his health and body. guy deserves a lot of respect for his sacrifices, even if his devices never ends up working to the extent he wanted.

[@Ottee2]

@@chrishayes5755 , I hope he lives to see his theory vindicated by proof.

[@ClaytonBigsby01]

@@chrishayes5755 working on a passion project fully funded at a university took a toll on his health and body 😅 lol don't make me laugh kid

[@nemy_z1989]

It's so amaze me that the old scientist are able to study and devoting this engine better than young gen today.

[@RyanFranny-xb4uq]

Young gen is worried about gender studies and inclusion

[@mrvolcada5355]

I was always taught that there is no such thing as a bad idea. The bad thing about ideas is a lack of them. Even if you think an idea is bad it may stimulate thought or provide a nugget for a newer and better idea.

[@JP13795]

The theoretical physics side of these ideas aren't always wrong, its the ability to engineer the equipment that can actually do it.

[@michac3796]

New times, new materials, new possibilities, new Ideas, new possibilities, new materials, new times.

[@BerryTheBnnuy]

Dude, this isn't a theory, it's not a part of theoretical physics. 5:24 How do piezoelectric crystals change their mass? This is literally not an observed behavior piezoelectric crystals have. The only sense in which "the ability to engineer equipment that can actually do it" is even remotely correct is in that if something is impossible, it is necessary that no one has the ability to engineer equipment that can actually do it.

[@VSci_]

@@BerryTheBnnuy The total mass of objects do change due to their motion. He is saying the relativistic mass of the crystals increases then they turn it off and keep the forward momentum. Im not sure about this idea I have to think about it more

[@_____J______]

yeah yeah yeah, but you got to push theory further, if you will stomp the ground in one place -- you wont progress

[@eventhisidistaken]

@@BerryTheBnnuy They do change mass - they gain relativistic mass during acceleration. Relativistic mass is established and uncontroversial science. Conceptually, this is easy to understand. You use a current to cause momentary acceleration of the crystal, and during that time, the total mass increases due to the relativistic aspect. You push that system while it momentarily weighs slightly more, and then the acceleration/deceleration stops, and you pull the system, which now weighs slightly less. The net effect is the acceleration of the the thing doing the pushing and pulling - the spacecraft.

[@thastayapongsak4422]

Well you're a scientist. You're supposed to explore hypothesis, not turn down things just because the consensus is "this can't work".

[@nolimit3281]

You've got to understand that they cant possibly test all the wonky ideas people come up with, some may be so laughable they are akin to wasting time because none of the concepts of the device make any sense and the creator doesn't seem to understand the physics behind the device either

[@paulus121212]

he is young all scientific breakthroughs have allways been done by older ppl as they think outside the box the young like to stick by the book

[@krashdown5814]

@@paulus121212 Tesla wasn't old, such a shame his research is held by the USA.

[@cedriceric9730]

@@nolimit3281 testing this is extremely low cost! They can do this test with 1% the cost of buying coffee for the baboons at ITER What the heck could you be complaning about

[@meleardil]

There are MANY things which work fine on paper, but in reality they dont. Not because of the "idea" behind it is wrong, but because the complexity of reality thwarts it, or the actual result is so minuscule that no practical use is possible. This seems to be the same to me. The key is the "change in mass" principle. How big is that? Also, is there ANY other effect countering it? It must be proved that there is NO possible "external" source of inertia. So, the "engine" can REALLY move on its own. The experiment is not built to prove that, which I see as a problem. The PRINCIPLE must be proven first, and THAN you can work on the most practical use of it.

[@arinallen]

It's a great idea, how in general, an impulse drive might work. It does make sense. It is interesting that inertia is the force in focus here. If those crystals can deliver this I would certainly like to know how they increase and decrease mass in that manner. Thank you for your inspiring work!

[@ravd8082]

great to see these scientist still have the motivation to create this concept

[@worldcomicsreview354]

"Captain's log: All the engines are down, but luckily we all got home by brushing our teeth"

[@Djake3tooth]

This comment is underrated

[@gmork1090]

@@Djake3tooth Nah, I rate this comment extremely top shelf.

[@harrypothead4575]

Elaborate please?

[@HoHhoch]

@@harrypothead4575 The crystals they're using are the same ones you can find in an electrical toothbrush.

[@MIHMediaInc]

Albeit: impulse 😅

[@DanyCesc83]

Mad respect to these scientist who’s worked on this his entire life, investing his own money! If they can make this work, the applications for use here on earth will be invaluable and then move to space use.

[@DhrubajyotiRaja01]

Should Give Priority to an American Company for Industrial Use if It's made Practically Usable .....

[@KWifler]

I can't help but draw a similarity between my quest to get a girlfriend and this old guy's quest.... Someday that old guy will be me, still trying to get a girlfriend...

[@Ryan-eu3kp]

@@KWifler Don't dwell on it mate, it will happen. But if your not doing anything to make it happen then nothing will change

[@RickMyBalls]

That research really took its toll - he's only 30!

[@N1originalgazza]

It's amazing to see a man of that age still devote his life to solving an, almost, impossible equation!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@nathanmoses1953]

Which equation?

[@N1originalgazza]

@@nathanmoses1953 The "equation" to tap in the the gravitational potential of the universe, the MEGA drive.

[@Ashallmusica]

I'm picturing this story as a movie in my head - a great scientist put his whole life to came with a logical idea for building a next generation vehicle for the coming future generation to leave earth as it won't last long for survival. I really admire such elder scientists 💙

[@quigonbond]

I wish Professor Woodward a long life so that he may see fruition of his theory into applied science.

[@Gabriel-um9hm]

it's fake

[@earlmarshall6543]

@@Gabriel-um9hm how do you know? back in the 60's and 70's Cell Phone theory and technology was considered fake and the product of an over-exaggerated mind. Now today most everyone has one.

[@poodtang2104]

Agreed.

[@bigd5899]

@@Gabriel-um9hm i dont think nasa supports fake physicists

[@arkvoodleofthesacredcrotch6060]

I get what you meant but I don't think this dude needs any wishes for a long life, he already has that. Now he needs wishes for a sudden breakthrough/development in his work

[@joshuadaly1295]

I like that this piece encouraged skepticism while also given the proponents of the mega drive a chance to make their case. I sincerely hope something amazing comes from this, but I appreciate that the scientists and engineers involved are willing to be proven wrong.

[@brianwright9514]

Science can never be fully realized if the people researching are so married to their ideas that they'll ignore contradictory results.

[@coralreef909]

Meanwhile there are extraterrestrial craft zipping along through our skies. What do they know that we have the inability to see. Our brain power has hit a roadblock.

[@TheJimtanker]

@@coralreef909 I must have missed that on the news. Where have you seen that there are extraterrestrial craft zipping through our skies?

[@thewizzard3150]

but are their detractors and competitors willing to have them proved right. I don't think so!

[@WCM1945]

They still have a lot of explaining to do...

[@mohit_hada]

These guys are pushing boundries of engineering!! Salute !

[@blueplanetoff]

Amazing work, you all who are working on this project, have my respect. I take my hat off to you. I can't wait to the results of the Cubesat test, cuz if it will be working, we are on our way to stars.

[@survivalinthezombieapocaly2142]

Sure. It's really super cool! Maybe, maybe.

[@arfyness]

"science isn't a tool that gets dirty by use" i love that

[@coreyc47]

No but sometimes it's just dirty from the beginning! Not in this case though!

[@ShifuCareaga]

It gets dirty from corruption and abuse

[@gmork1090]

The scientific method. Not necessarily science itself as that can get sullied and perverted. The scientific method, however, can be utilized in all branches of knowledge.

[@DrRusty5]

The history is littered with occasions where an incorrect understanding was accepted to the effect that to say otherwise was hearsay - for example Phlogiston Theory. Eventually scientists realised that the answer was oxidation but having held onto the existence of Phlogiston for so long it had the effect of actually holding back science. Scientists through history who have challenged the convention are inevitably dismissed and ignored - only for some to be proven they were on the right track years later (often after their death). The pursuit of scientific discoveries should not be inhibited by the bias of think we know how everything works.

[@ManicPandaz]

The hard question of science isn’t “what can I prove true?” real question is “what question am I going to devote my life to try and answer?”

[@timokreuzer1820]

Sadly these days science is most often not about answering a question, but to get a publication claiming to answer one.

[@disgruntledwookie369]

No, it's "how can I disprove this theory". Your comment is so typical of pseudo-science videos like this one. No surprise that the commenters don't understand the scientific method.

[@TheRootedWord]

No. The hard question is that question you are most afraid to ask. Second hardest is that question you would immediately dismiss as silly.

[@ManicPandaz]

@@disgruntledwookie369 Dude, what’s your problem? Try reading the comment again... Spending your life tying to answer “is this wrong?” is also asking a question. I specially juxtaposed”answer a question” with “prove. After all “proof” is only useful in math, baking and alcohol.

[@ManicPandaz]

@@TheRootedWord I hear what you’re saying and I understand how hard those are but I tend to disagree. Mostly because I see spending 30 years of your life trying to answer a single question as harder than simply asking any question. What you spend 1/3 of your life doing is a hard question for everyone, science entirely aside.

[@Wise4HarvestTime]

The satellite failed before the march principal could be tested. It was a real long shot, so how long might it be before anyone tries again. Maybe they could rebuild it and hitchhike on a starlink launch

[@dantreadwell7421]

So the main issue that I have with the naming and how the video is put together is that Star Trek impulse engines are explicitly reaction drives. Specifically, they are torch drives, powered by fusion reactors.

[@axem.8338]

9 days before Wright brothers flew their aircraft, there was an article in newspapers saying human flight is impossible.

[@JackTheMurderer]

I still don't believe that humans will ever be able to fly.

[@EleanorPeterson]

Newspapers? Journalists? Bah! It's always conveniently overlooked, but Sir George Cayley achieved man-carrying human flight in 1853, exactly fifty years before the Wright peeps got airborne under power (they credited Cayley for his aeronautical research data and original development work). Cayley's flight was in an unpowered aircraft because there were no suitable engines available at the time, but whoever was writing for that newspaper should definitely have Googled 'human flight's already been done' before going to print. 😁

[@graham1034]

@@JackTheMurderer On Earth anyway. But in the clouds of Jupiter in a specially designed suit? Maybe one day.

[@agentredbone1667]

Just like "getting the jab saves lives" One week later "you can still get covid and die and also die from the jab "...."oh and mask up, do as we say, and rights? What's that?"

[@carlrodalegrado4104]

People even said no aircraft could fly over the Atlantic ocean

[@owenlaprath4135]

This needs to be tested in a vacuum, because there are acoustic and aerodynamic effects with what they are doing, that have to be excluded first!

[@kenrolt8072]

Agreed. The device uses piezoelectric transducers of the same type used in sonar. Testing in a vacuum would then avoid acoustic radiation pressure (a nonlinear effect) from the aluminum vibrating head.

[@leoleony1]

I believe I saw some vacuum chambers in their lab and office. I didn't read the study, but I believe they've set up in one of those chambers.

[@Gabriel-um9hm]

It's fake... It amazes me how they managed to con people into giving them money.

[@regmigrant]

@@Gabriel-um9hm you seem very sure, where is your data coming from?

[@ramirowendler]

Em drive flashbacks

[@keagaming9837]

I wish these people success in the making and testing of this drive.

[@brookestephen]

Speed is NOT the problem... avoiding collisions IS the problem. Even a speck of dust can go right through you and your ship, while a planet, star, comet or asteroid could be too big to avoid... cutting you and your ship into tiny pieces and a mushroom cloud. Forget speed - work on anti-collision and protection from energetic radiation.

[@whiterottenrabbit]

1:25: Narrator: "Nasa is taking the idea seriously" Video: shows Comic Sans Me: **facepalm**

[@mms09]

It wasn’t just me 😅😬🤦‍♀️

[@imstupid880]

Beat me to it

[@al424242]

I went to a lecture by a visiting Nobel prize winner and they used comic sans, must be some sort of joke.

[@bluelpgamers8509]

@@al424242 I use comic sans out of spite

[@o15523]

That's how you know it's the *real NASA*

[@phxzedior6823]

i like to imagine that in a parrarel universe, Jim is actually the father of the golden era of mankind, where he already invented this many years ago, leading to the expansion of the human race onto the cosmos.

[@BerryTheBnnuy]

I like to imagine that in a parallel universe, I don't have to deal with a constant deluge of pseudoscience from deranged, hyperenthusiastic neophiles.

[@fatalsyn]

@@BerryTheBnnuy Is that... someone who's sexually attracted to the matrix series?

[@kidyomu89]

in this universe, we'll have to wait and see

[@Dragelf540]

They should test this in a zero-gravity environment. One factor that may be affecting the results of the experiment would be that they are being done in an environment with a great amount of gravity. What they are trying to do is affect space-time with gravity to generate potential energy to create a large amount of inertia that will be used to push the spaceship forward at high speed to reduce the time needed to reach other planets. What I don't get is if the device uses gravity, would testing the device in an area with a large amount of gravity cause the experiments to show negative results.

[@odbo_One]

I wish I'm smart as these scientists, I would love to continue their research with them. Time is of the essence here.

[@jaredwsavage]

"Guys, we were wrong. We made a bad assumption based on sketchy data and wasted a lot of your money. We're sorry. " - No politician in human history

[@Durzo1259]

Kinda like the over $2 trillion and thousands of lives America spent on Afghanistan, now right back where it started.

[@seamon9732]

@@Durzo1259 Partially true, it was a BIG SUCCESS for the military industrial complex's corporate welfare scam.

[@giin97]

@@seamon9732 hey, at least they employed a lot of people in the meantime ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@user-tp5yb4hr4w]

Yeah most politicians would rather use the excuse of. I have investigated myself and found no wrongdoing.

[@jaredwsavage]

@@user-tp5yb4hr4w That is genuinely the case here in Ireland!

[@garrithsmith799]

All that dedication wont go unnoticed. One day this research could be a catalyst for the next step into space travel. Very impressive!

[@JosephDavies]

It may also prove to be a dead-end, but the information gained is still valuable.

[@NicholasNerios]

Imagine the possibilities of tapping gravitational waves. Wow. Hopefully a prototype could be tested either on the iss or the up coming moon base. I'd like to see some low gravity, and zero atmosphere experiments...

[@KorAllRBare]

I always imagined the Impulse drive being based on a rail Gun with a twist, The twist being the mass normally tethered to Earth is actually a collection of Modules briefly electromagnetically tied to repulse a given module with a reverse Pole to it, ergo thrusting it forward. So in a sense via flipping the electromagnetic Poles to several Modules, The main mass is shifted to accelerate one module that is flipped out of phase, Once Near to Light Speed is attained the entire set of modules electromagnetic Fields can be switched off. If you understand the above then an array could be utilised so that the entire Mass may be accelerated to any direction..

[@passerby4507]

"Are we collectively smoking something?" -- Professor Jim Woodward 2021

[@inlustrismedia]

I'll have what he's having.

[@krashdown5814]

Tesla was smokin in his Tesla cage.

[@dmacpher]

Canada checking in - yes

[@arson8582]

Why yes. Yes we are.

[@rogerjamespaul5528]

Elon is one of those collective smokers who discovered a way to think outside the box, by learning to control what he smoked instead of being controlled by what he smoked. I assume.

[@marcobertoglio7729]

Beyond the fragility of old age, keeping the dream and not giving up... That is Star trek.

[@robb4044]

Very interesting. I hope his gadget works, and I hope somebody gets it working soon, not only so we can travel in space, but also so he can see that his idea was valid and that he was on the right track.

[@craigg4246]

Before you can ever go to the stars in a human lifetime, you will also need to develop star trek type navigational shields. You just cant go running in to interstellar dust at relativistic speeds

[@pauljmeyer1]

No matter what the result, the endeavour is marvellous.

[@alext5497]

So long as you aren't the one funding it

[@dsdy1205]

Wow, didn't know Woodward was still working actively on this, mad respect honestly.

[@Piddlefoots]

ZERO Respect is what he deserves, he is in it for grant money, not to actually build a warp drive, learn the factual science, this is nothing more than a fantasy.......

[@twixxtro]

Hope he still is hope hes sucessful🙏

[@dlperk5035]

What do you mean by "mad respect"? Do you even know what it means...

[@dsdy1205]

@@dlperk5035 It means I greatly respect him. That's it.

[@god4943]

@@dlperk5035 lol what?

[@jean-jacquesferry3814]

Science doesn't break magic, it reveals it.Thanks Jim for this shared pleasure 🤙🙂

[@roarkm.o.banjonjeffries3713]

I took a while guess before you showed the device corkscrewing through space-time. My guess was tight waves projected in front surfing those waves or pulling them through the machine and flattening out the back. Flattening the curve.

[@nautilosad6024]

You have to love geeks. All they need is an idea, no matter how extreme, they'll find a way to make it happen if it inspires them.

[@cedriceric9730]

Imagination is what sets us apart from animals Yes it's a geek superpower There is absolutely nothing naturally impossible if you give us geeks enough time

[@OktavianiFriska]

Agree, just put us a lot of money and our idea would be next breakthrough innovation that maybe can beat Einstein

[@nixl3518]

That's quite a statement there @@OktavianiFriska !!! Didn't anyone teach u humility when u were growing up, or is that one of u're geeky attributes that keeps u away from civilized society? Perhaps, judging from ur avatar, u still have a ways to go!

[@leek6927]

nick are you saying that being smart/ a scientist makes you uncivilized?

[@nixl3518]

@@leek6927 your logic escapes me!

[@smking100]

The university moved Jim to a quiet corner rather than fire him, just in case his idea has merit. I mean, he got a small grant from NASA, and money is money.

[@fancifulfilly]

Only he squandered most of his NIAC grant for that last project on new toys for his lab. There was a pittance left over to pay his "research team". Of course that panned out zero. I think this latest project he and Heidi are working on is new. I wonder if NASA would pony up again. If this Mach effect engine has a chance of happening, they need a team of engineers, not physicists. This is not really their field of expertise.

[@scubaguy007]

It’s funny how education administrations respond to money.

[@westnblu]

@@fancifulfilly I beg to differ. Physics is the driver of major engineering feats. Just sayin

[@daos3300]

@@fancifulfilly they need to prove the theory first which certainly is a job for theoretical physicists. if they manage that they'll have an endless supply of engineers.

[@tobiasboon4597]

What happens in interstellar space? There's less gravity further between spaces. At least until another stable gravity source occurs (another star?).

[@glennfryer1539]

Got to admire these guy, much respect for them ....

[@dial8702]

True people, devoting their limited lives to improve and evolve humanity so that the future ones can live as long as the universe exists. Not looking for profit, looking for eternity in a history book. A big cheers to them.

[@vidalvasquez1123]

I like the fact that these scientist and engineers are very humble about it.

[@Piddlefoots]

Because they know its TOTAL BS..... But a grant for Billions would be nice........Mr tax payer.... ???

[@blockhead1899]

@@Piddlefoots As if the government cares about your pathetic excuse for tax payments

[@Piddlefoots]

@@blockhead1899 Dude pay attention, you obviously cant read properly, the TAX is about YOU the tax payer, and corporations getting grants to do BS that will never go anywhere, are nothing but a tax rip off, corporations getting YOUR TAX MONEY for things they should not...... Get it now mate ? And if you think that's rubbish explain the Us military block mate...GAMEOVER your simply wrong...... 1/3 of US economy internal, is nothing other than Military corporations, all paid by TAX MONEY ya genius..... So YES governments absolutely DO CARE about tax payments, in both directions....... Inbound and outbound.

[@crewtheaftermath4105]

..I kinda teared up when it moved :) Im 54 and think i want to dedicate the rest of my life to their research! and I dont even know anything about it. Id just bring the coffee every day and learn till i caught up but I think they are actually onto impulse engines like for real. This isgood science!

[@brucepaterson6961]

We can see space having a "tension" evident from voids in the universe on the largest scale growing from the pull of all the mass outside them. Whether we can find a way to couple to this tension is the question and I expect the answer lies in a unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics.

[@nelsonvallin3535]

Amazing!!! To pursue one vision even though it's extremely unlikely to succeed or bring any immediate gains. Is a level resilience I wish to attain one day.

[@neeneko]

careful what you wish for, it is the same mental trap that makes things like Nigerian scams work. People do not like being wrong, and once enough energy is sunk into something, no amount of facts will convince a person that they are wrong because they have invested their very sense of self in being right. People like woodward are not to be admired. They are not resilient, they have tied their idea to their identity and are trapped, for failing to believe in their idea is so psychotically devastating they will do anything to avoid it.

[@nelsonvallin3535]

@@neeneko Only the crazy ones keep going when all the metrics and all the data is going against them. 99% of fail, only 1% are lucky enough to be right. Despite the odds. But the 1% are the ones that change our reality. Being an entrepreneur or scientist you have to be comfortable with the likelihood that you will not make it. But you want it so bad you will risk it all anyway.

[@MrJdsenior]

@@neeneko "failing to believe in their idea is so psychotically devastating they will do anything to avoid it" Wow, you must have watched a different video than I did. From what I could see he is a guy that believes there may be some physical property of the universe that might be utilized for space ship drive. And he pointed out several times he definitely has his doubts...who wouldn't. And I think you maybe meant psychologically rather than psychotically devastating.

[@neeneko]

@@MrJdsenior yep, psychologically. ah autocorrect on a small screen. It isn't just the video, it is having rubbernecked this guy for years now. He has long since been dismissed by domain experts but has a strong in the fringe crowd and from time to time hooks mainstream sources like this one,.. enough to keep him validated.

[@mr.stand_by6316]

So...its a vibrator, that moves itself in space? Fascinating. 😊

[@dumitrulangham1721]

If they can prove this works this will be greatest discovery since the light bulbs! If we are going to into deep space then need to explore seriously which technology could be considered for infant of interstellar travel!

[@TheNewPhysics]

People don't discuss Mach's Principle because observations have proved it wrong. LIGO observations showed that gravity and light travel at the same speed. Hence, there is no non-local interaction (a body with the whole universe instantaneously).

[@Warrenwalker30]

They honestly need to bring in more people because when engineering something new there's one outlook or perception from each person if you bring an outsider in he can give a brand new perspective and ideas to the project that just might bring it to life

[@MIHMediaInc]

With how science has been compartmentalised that's unlikely to happen.

[@Warrenwalker30]

@@MIHMediaInc yep because your always ridiculed if your the one that comes up with the new theory or discovery until it's deeply proven correct ..but until then they call you crazy

[@MIHMediaInc]

@@Warrenwalker30 right on

[@fahimp3]

@@Warrenwalker30 But there is new tech that is always coming out... I don't think people dismiss this as much as the stereotype goes since they got a govt agency looking into it...

[@lostgleammedia]

more Women brought into these things.. who knows what will be discovered with an even more brand new perspective

[@williamjames9515]

The difficult part is getting enough Dilithium Crystals.

[@Visbalalam]

That's for warp drive, not impulse 😀

[@Lennis01]

Impulse drives are powered my fusion reactors. Another handy thing to have if we could actually build it.

[@Saint.questions]

Exactly

[@MasterMayhem78]

@@Lennis01 Some have been built and actually work but only for a short time. The problem is containment of the plasma.

[@gordonpeacman2126]

@@Lennis01 Fission ....

[@paulneilson6117]

Guys, in 1908 Minkowski predicted the photon has more momentum in a dielectric proportional to its index of refraction. This is demonstrated by experiments with lasers passing through dielectrics bouncing off mirrors. The photon drive aka the EMdrive exploits the fact that if you place a high index of refraction material at one end of a microwave cavity, more momentum is deposited on that end via radiation pressure than the metal only side. This imbalance of momentum in the closed system causes motion towards the dielectric end. Using superconductive metal for the cavity walls increases the efficiency.gravitate. Edit: why has this been blocked?

[@SteveWindsurf]

1) If E = m C^2, then an objects mass can be altered by it's equivalent energy, although the density (form) of mass/energy conversion is important to magnitude. 2) If that energy can be displaced (within a close system, so, without using particles), then mass will have apparently moved achieving momentum without inertia (breaking Issacs first law). 3) Suppose then, the objects are physically swapped (via particles), yielding a force, inertia could made to apply in one direction only. The effect is like cycling a space ships center of mass, front to back, using very different physics, such that it yields a net force in one direction. The big question is how is energy (preferably photons) converted to mass - How does energy concentrate to become subatomic particles? Perhaps I don't understand but then, breaking Newtons laws has me so easily confused. Nice to engage!

[@Jezee213]

It's people like this that will move our world forward. I love this story.

[@Piddlefoots]

People like that just sap funding from much better science projects....... We need a sun, 10 times bigger than ours in a very small bottle to even come close to the energy levels needed to curve space-time fabric, THIS is what these dreamers ignore and fail to mention....... E=Mc² tells us there is absolutely no way around this energy density problem.....So they toss things like exotic matter and negative energy around, as a way to fool people.......

[@Piddlefoots]

No they wont, they will do only ONE thing, drain your tax system of Billions for ZERO result, wake up, 50 years havent even been back to moon, you folks are just tripping to fall for this fantasy, get grounded in real science, not what BS theorists say, they dont do the experiments, go ask a CERN scientist about this, they will LAUGH at you and palm it off, yea theory doesnt always mean we can do it, will be there reply, there is a reason I know this......

[@Piddlefoots]

Its people like this that will send our society broke, for nothing at all..... Wake up and get grounded in REAL SCIENCE, not this fantasy........

[@welinder01]

I remember about a decade ago when Jim Woodward was trying to raise $60k to further refine the Mach drive concept. The same year Kim Kardashian earned $50 million. Everything wrong with our species in one single observation.

[@wambamit344]

Lol

[@mirroredvoid8394]

The US military budget is 700 billion dollars imagine if they recieved a fraction of their budget.

[@mirroredvoid8394]

Wouldn't need a militay budget if you build a warp drive and move to another planet far far away.

[@MrJdsenior]

@@mirroredvoid8394 Not really, I think you misunderstand human nature 101. Moving people somewhere else will only move wars somewhere else.

[@drpearso1]

Pure science at its best - multiple working hypotheses. You learn as you go.

[@Piddlefoots]

Not really pure science mate, its all hypothetical and not based in reality of actual science....... Its a great shout out for funding though........ We need a sun, 10 times bigger than ours in a very small bottle to even come close to the energy levels needed to curve space-time fabric, THIS is what these dreamers ignore and fail to mention....... E=Mc² tells us there is absolutely no way around this energy density problem.....So they toss things like exotic matter and negative energy around, as a way to fool people.......

[@coreyc47]

Could the effect you're searching for be amplified if the vibration sources achieved resonance with the base they are mounted to as well as each other?? & by adjusting the frequency ever so slightly in front of & behind the resonant frequency I believe control of direction can be achieved as well! If fact you could stear the thing!

[@jfrtbikgkdhjbeep9974]

help 'em out Corey ... get together with such a project

[@lordnk3698]

if we ever build a first starship ... we gotta to name it after Jim Woodward

[@saxmidiman]

Could the first Interstellar Starship be a "Woodie"?🤣🙄😎

[@garypeatling7927]

Jim enterprise

[@calebclunie4001]

I'm definitely distantly related to Mr. Fearn, but yes Jim Woodward deserves the credit.

[@MrJdsenior]

@@saxmidiman Just couldn't let it go, could ya? Funny, though, in a pedestrian sort of way. :-) Thumbed.

[@PhillipAmthor]

What a cool man doing all by himself and even paying for it. This is how the ideal grandpa looks like you may not like it but this is how peak performance and being badass looks like.

[@steady3459]

COMMON WE HAVE ZERO POINT ENERGY THE CABAL ARE HORDING !

[@RickMyBalls]

What. What it looks like.

[@jamesh8862]

Irrespective of whether the Woodward effect turns out to be a dud or not, you have to admire the guy for putting a large part of his life into developing it. He found his purpose & that's something which sadly far too many people ever manage to come across.

[@colinwhite455]

It guys like these who move us forward!

[@TheNefastor]

Here's the thing : we _want_ to believe it's possible to travel to distant starts, but the universe is under no obligation to allow it. There is always the possibility that interstellar travel is in fact impossible (at practical speeds). That's what bums me out the most. On the other hand, it also means we can never be invaded by space aliens...

[@incription]

well, not really. What is a practical speed? You get a fusion drive with some insanely efficient ion thruster and accelerate to close the speed of light, time dilation starts taking effect and your relative speed has now increased beyond the speed of light - you can go anywhere in the universe in a second if you are fast enough, but you dont have to break the laws of physics. And aliens could totally invade us, maybe they started a million years ago

[@dschledermann]

Yes, we definitely have to be most sceptical about the things we want to be true. Interstellar travel will never be a thing. At least not in the way it's portrayed in scifi. I find it plausible that civilisation (provided we don't exterminate ourselves within the next couple of centuries) eventually reach other stars and spread through the galaxy, but it will be a slow one way ticket.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

@@incription There was a time when scientists said it was impossible to go faster than the speed of sound. A hundred years ago my Iphone would have been beyond comprehension. I admire people that aren't satisfied with the status quo.

[@deusexaethera]

Interstellar travel is entirely feasible with current technology. The PROBLEM is that humans don't live long enough and also get bored too easily. We evolved on a ball of poop-covered-rock that a person could walk around at least once in their lifetime if they were well prepared and very dedicated, but that ball of poop-covered-rock is infinitesimally small compared to the universe, and our biology and psychology have not evolved any means of coping with it. Here's a fun fact: If Proxima Centauri were as close as the Moon is, the Moon would have to be 11.6 feet away -- close enough for you to bump your head on it if you climbed a ladder. That's how big the universe is.

[@missingno2401]

@@deusexaethera if proxima centauri was as close as the moon is a lot of people would die

[@ryanaiden]

Jim totally looks like he could be the great great grandfather of Jean-Luc Picard.

[@geokon3]

If his idea works, he could become!!

[@Dalicaruncho]

But the actual actor STILL playing Picard, Sir Patrick Stewart, is in fact older than him :)

[@ryanaiden]

Still… in the timeline that would unravel I. ST, he would be the elder and Picard yet to be born.

[@Dalicaruncho]

@@ryanaiden My brain hurts now…

[@mariodasilva8729]

As an avid viewer of almost all the series of Star Trek movies and TV, it would be very advisable for the Space agencies involved in designing Warp engines to enable communications satellites at various Lagrange points in the Solar system to act as communication relays when craft finally experiment with these Warp engines. After any Warp experience is successful, these craft require to maintain communication that they were successful, otherwise the lack of confirmation of success will deem them Lost in Space!

[@lynnealuebben1967]

I listened to the young man from NASA speak about how that would be groundbreaking, but you could tell he did not think it was possible. However he is too young to remember just how far we have come, how almost every Star Trek idea has become real in our lifetimes.

[@Wolf88888]

It's not really an 'impulse engine' per 'Star Trek'; my understanding is that the impulse engines on starships in Star Trek were actually ion engines. This is more of a slow warp drive.

[@JohnDlugosz]

IF the impulse engines used any kind of normal Newtonian reaction, there would not be enough fuel on board as it would necessarily outweigh the ship. In an _early_ novel (1970's) the author explained that it's "I.M. Pulse" which indeed sounds more like this video.

[@Wolf88888]

@@JohnDlugosz I don't claim to know. I've been kind of a 'Trekkie' all my life, and my understanding has always been that the ion impulse engines were for relatively short, low-speed travel within a star system, while the warp engines were for true interstellar travel.

[@alext5497]

There is nothing 'warpy' about this drive.

[@ArchangelChi]

@@JohnDlugosz That's why they were equipped with hydrogen collectors to scoop hydrogen gas from open space to be available for the ion impulse engines and the secondary fusion reactors

[@PK-tt5kk]

It always inspires me when I see people at his age working in science.

[@EricPham-gr8pg]

2 factors was geonetry to relief the comserved response at heading need as taking in and turn into inertia further accelerate the soaceship other while it build up drag, secondly we must distribute center of gravity to be relocated by tortoise coil to readjust center gravity at the most efficient without losing in drag and kinetic gravity built up as spaceship move forward

[@ComeonmenID10T]

When Einstein came up with theory of Relativity, most all called him Nuts too, yet it turns out he was absolutely right

[@YouTubeH8sMe]

Actually, hes not right, but he advanced our understanding and our desire to understand better and more.

[@Piddlefoots]

Except his theories could be proven. This one they propose, never will. We need a sun, 10 times bigger than ours in a very small bottle to even come close to the energy levels needed to curve space-time fabric, THIS is what these dreamers ignore and fail to mention....... E=Mc² tells us there is absolutely no way around this energy density problem.....So they toss things like exotic matter and negative energy around, as a way to fool people.......

[@dodgedemonsrtx]

@@Piddlefoots u don't know s hit

[@Gruntbaseball]

"Life's work" one of the best statements to hear... everyone needs that dedication to one thing they love and the world would be awesome.. if only

[@MyrKnof]

problem is funding it for most people.

[@Gruntbaseball]

@@MyrKnof dont I know it lol.. been funding my business for 1 year not exactly millions lol but doing it alone is still not cheap.. but i love it

[@daniellynn3240]

I love that even though he might not be around he's still trying to help out Humanity

[@invertedxtrovert]

That’s how you get a wing of a University named after you.

[@DJShadesUK]

Someone else posted this ancient Greek proverb, but its too apt not to repeat: "society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit"

[@mrbacchus6127]

For a scientist like him there would be no greater lifetime achievement.

[@walterlyzohub8112]

Let me say several things. If universal gravitational waves throughout the universe is correct there is a possibility of riding them with the correct frequency. It’s possible to have a pink elephant. Find a true albino one and put it in the sun just long enough. Voila, pink sunburn.

[@greggary7217]

History is replete with unloved theory & experiment that are (sometimes much) later discovered to open the door to something new. Regardless of diligence Im not sure that a guy willing to place odds on the success or failure of a trial should be in charge of the trial. Unless of course he’s claiming to understand the workings of the gargantuan portion of the universe current science is completely mystified by. No matter outcome tho, all the respect to Woodward for his perseverance & gratitude to those who have joined the project.

[@bluementor6466]

I thank Bloomberg and this Man for all of their hard work. Thank you.

[@RickMyBalls]

Capitalised man

[@johndewey6358]

Think about all that we have accomplished since the first Steam Engine. I say we have not looked hard enough to find that Pink Elephant. Thank you Professor and all the people who are making big differences in our lives by pushing the boundaries of what may be possible. Never give up, I admire your optimism, tenacity and creativity.

[@mrnobody2873]

It occurs to me that if you can attach a material that has a resonant frequency in multiples of the oscillation frequency, you could actually scale up the device and move it to an easier to detect range.

[@Rob77896]

Inspirational, It is work like this that makes the impossible possible!

[@Miked1332]

This is why I believe we take 1% if the US military budget to fund wild ideas like this.

[@cruss4612]

We already spend more than 1% of the defense budget on research. That's only 6 billion. The defense budget isn't even the largest expenditure by the federal government. Health and Human Services spends 51% of the budget by themselves. Maybe we should take 1% of that and reallocate it. That'll be about 14-20 billion.

[@ArchangelChi]

They already spend WAY more than that, at DARPA and a plethora of black budget R&D projects

[@davidowens9597]

Much of the military budget does fund cutting-edge research like this.

[@circlebodo991]

@@davidowens9597 yeah but they wont tell ya. so its useless

[@tonyharford4625]

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. A C Clarke.

[@MrJdsenior]

You do know he writes science FICTION, right? :-/ :-)

[@tonyharford4625]

@@MrJdsenior Three things to consider here. (1) Yes he wrote science fiction (2) He is dead at the moment so doesn't write anything now. (3) Most importantly he invented the communications satellite so was probably quite qualified to comment on things scientific.

[@siegfriedkleinmartins7816]

CORRECTION....Clarke wrote science speculation, because he was a science based writer as Asimov. The actual internet could not exist without the satelite comunication network. And he predicted both. Greetings from Brasil

[@jumpieva]

we need more guys like this. also why exactly is the smaller scale important?

[@charleshawkins699]

The term impulse was used on the Star Trek show. Because they were trying to emulate a sea voyage or the propeller on a ship. In most cases. It was a science fiction show trying to capture the essence of navy ship operations. In many respects. If you’re talking about impulse drives. In terms of making science fiction a reality. There are many different types of postulated theories. The most basic being stored mechanical energy in weights. Where a force and rapid stop can be applied in a zero G environment. The effect is like gently pushing a weight away from you attached to a rope. That is let out a significant ways away. Then rapidly reeled in. Giving a slight forward momentum towards the direction the weight was thrown. It’s something meant to move slowly in zero gravity. In an effort to move out of the way or towards something like another ship or space station.