h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Dr Eugene Podkletnov you mention is perhaps the only person alive who is willing to talk about his experiences publically, since there is an inevitable darkness cast over a technology which could potentially provide free power, thus destroying the biggest capita related industry income a country may have - oil.

It is rumoured that Podkletnov received his information from the family of a little known German scientist (whose name escapes me now) who was "forced" by the Nazi SS into highly secretive development of a design he patented at the start of the war. This bell shaped device resembles a turbine, which when spun at around 25000 rpm gathered sufficent air intake as to induce perpetual motion. But it was not this the SS were interested in. The device emmitted what we now know as a torsion field - it can be described as an energy vacuum, or a zero-point energy field - the device could levitate. It has also been speculated that such a device would cause a slow-down in time within this field. It is unclear to what level they managed to exploit this, but it was well documented that different organic and inorganic objects were placed into this field. Given that the 62 scietists working on the project were shot before the site was liberated at the end of the world, it would be of no surprise if men were tested in this way.

Anyway i'm waffling.

Can i suggest a good read? A journalist called nick cook (Jane's Defence Weekly) recently published a book called "The Hunt For Zero Point" - this is almost certainly the most centralised source of information i have found on the subject. GO down to waterstones and look in the military section now!

Sorry "end of world" should have read "end or war".

Sorry to depress you

I will get that job at the Guardian!

Hi there,

As an engineer turned physicist I may be able to help. There are no good texts on this subject. This is simply because it is an area that has not been investigated in any level of detail.

I have quietly read up on most of the attempts to manipulate spacetime, and must report that non are viable solutions. There are some clever attempts at twisting the logic of physics, but non hold any water under closer inspection.

This does not mean that the manipulation of spacetime is impossible, far from it! It is possible to generate realistic levels of thrust using non-propulsive means. To do so in a practical situation requires, as with everything worthwhile, the same level of endeavour as would go into the design of say a gas turbine. I am working towards a second degree, with precisely this ambition in mind.

Unfortunately anti-grav devices get lumped in with all sorts of science fiction. You cannot generate energy from such a device. It does not really disobey Newton's observations about the universe, since the reaction is now against the very fabric of spacetime. You effectively react against the nearest large object - be it the Earth, Sun Galaxy etc.

As for the long dreamt of possibility of travelling to the stars. Well, faster than light travel is possible, but requires R&D beyond the basic idea of gravitic propulsion. It will require the same effort, at least, as our forebears applied to supersonic travel from the gas turbine. Materials technology and quantum physics will both need to be pushed forward first.

If your interest is in the long sort after Infinite Improbability drive - well I'm just about to make myself a nice hot cup of tea...

Mart