Mach effect
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📖 Term
Contents 5
| Type | Term |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Mach effect thruster |
| On the Timeline | 2 events, 2001–2017 |
The Mach effect, or Woodward effect, is a hypothetical force proposed by physicist James F. Woodward in 1990, which he argued could allow a spacecraft to accelerate without expelling propellant. It is sometimes cited in UFO discussions as a possible way that unconventional craft could move, but its existence has not been confirmed and most physicists consider the theory flawed.[1][2]
Theory
Woodward based the idea on Mach's principle, the proposal, associated with physicist Ernst Mach, that an object's inertia arises from its interaction with all the other matter in the universe. He argued that if the mass-energy of an object is made to fluctuate while it is pushed back and forth, the object should experience a net force in one direction. Critics say the model appears to violate conservation of energy and momentum.[1]
Experiments
From the mid-1990s Woodward built test devices from stacks of piezoelectric crystals driven by alternating current, later known as the MEGA drive, and he and his collaborators reported measuring tiny thrusts. Independent experiments, including a 2010 torsion-pendulum study, failed to confirm them, and no practical working device has been demonstrated.[1]
Research programs
NASA's Breakthrough Propulsion Physics project (1996–2002) listed Woodward's "transient inertia" effect among unresolved topics, noting that the small predicted force had not been confirmed. In 2017 NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program funded further work by Woodward and his colleague Fearn, including a concept for an interstellar probe.[2][3]
On the UAP Timeline
- Mach effect experiments (June 2001) — Researchers publish an experiment on changing the mass of test samples.
- Movement and Maneuver in Deep Space (April 2017) — Air Force doctrine officers publish a framework on using emerging technologies.
References
- James Woodward (physicist) — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Daniel Oberhaus, "The Mach effect thruster and interstellar travel", Wired (2020) · wired.com · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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