Has this ever been tried?

Question

What if a spacecraft could emit a repetitive alternation of strong magnetic fields (positive, then negative, or vice-versa)
Could the ship actually attract itself and move through space?

Also, what if the ship could emit pulses of the same charge magnetic field and concentrate that to a specific area (such as the back of the ship) and repel itself?

Answer 1

Ermmm, the opposite magnetic fields would cancel each other out and the ship would stay in place

Answer 2

In order for an object to go from rest to motion or change its motion, it needs a Force applied to it, according to Newton's laws. A magnetic field isn't a force; it's a field. There is no mass emitted from a magnet that creates its field, so Newton's law that says "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" doesn't apply, the way it would in conventional propulsion with exhaust particles being pushed out the back of a rocket. You can make a magnet move by putting another magnet near it with similar poles (north or south) being pushed together. But even with another magnet nearby, if the one you're interested in is alternating the orientation of its magnetic field, it would alternately attract and repel the other magnet, with no net force in any direction over time. The idea of emitting focused pulses of magnetism would only work if, for example, it was emitting North pulses pointed at a nearby stationary North magnet, but the further the original magnet got pushed away, the weaker the effect would be, since the strength of a magnetic field drops off as the square of the distance between them. It's not a practical idea no matter what you do. The Magnetic Levitation trains people have experimented work because the train stays very close to a long series of magnets that switch orientation as the train passes, so that as the train approaches, the stationary magnet pulls it closer, and after the train passes, the stationary magnet changes orientation and pushes the train further away from it. But very soon it comes to another magnet that does the same thing, and so on in a long series from the origin of the journey to the destination. It wouldn't work in space, unless we built a maglev track from here to the destination first. Not at all practical.

Answer 3

It needs to send those pulses to some point outside itself for the effect that you are talking of. For example, a small copper ring will fly off when placed on an induction coil, but in your case, you can't make a part of the ship repel itself. Then if the field is strong enough, you will succeed in breaking the ship!

No, you need another object to either attract or repel.

Answer 4

This ain't happen'

Ever hear of the old saying, "You can't pick yourself up by your own boot straps?"

Well, it's true - for every action, there's an opposite and equal reaction. The forces of your magnetic fields would be counterbalancing themselves constantly and the net force on the ship would necessarily be zero.

Sorry, you'll just have to fire one of your booster rockets if you want to get home in time for dinner.

Answer 5

Great thought! I always wanted it to emit a repetitive alternation of matter and anti-matter. The energy created would be astronomical !!! Maybe in the future it will be possible to harness the energy for space travel. ET has to be using something of this nature to travel in space. It certainly isn't the ion engine...

Answer 6

You just packed your bong didn't you? That is a silly question. Of course it has NOT been done by any humans. On the other hand, E.T. might roll like that!