Prof. Laithwaite had stated that gyroscopic weight loss is observable, and that his fellow professors specializing in rotational mechanics had not been able to discover the theoretical mechanismns for the weight loss of the 50lb motorcycle wheel demonstration. NASA's work on gyroscopic weight loss, however, did not produce any measurable results. A comparison of Prof. Laithwaite's experiment with NASA's revealed substantial differences, thus reopening theis issue. If a gyroscopic can lose weight , under what conditions is this observable, and what are the possible theoretical explanations for such an effect? This paper uses a structured approach to compare a gravitational field with a centripetal force field to determine the key experimental parameters. These parameters account for the differences between Prof. Laithwaite's experiments and NASA's. The purpose of this paper is to make available publicly, a throught and reasoned, deconstruction and analysis of what Prof. Eric Laithwaite had observed. Primarily becuase, both sides, the yae and the nay sayers have not made their analysis available to public or peer scrutiny. It is hoped that the material presented will encourage others to develop further theoretical analyses and experimental designs, until we are sure that weight loss is or is not psosible. The paper presents sufficient experimental evidence to confirm that the Laithwaite gyroscopic weight loss is genuine, and not due to gyroscopic forces. It then presents a possible theoretical approach to explaining this weight loss, a critical requirement for the development of future propulsion technologies. Two approaches are examined, the curvature approach and the gradient approach. Both approaches are derived within the context of Special Relativity, a body of knowledge that is well documented and understood. Does the Laithwiate Gyroscopic Weight Loss have Propulsion Potential? My current conclusion is that further experiments are required to calibrate this behavior. At this juncture, it is difficult to differentiate between gravitational buoyancy and thrust. Further research will shed light on whether these results will impact theoretical (Ning Li) and experimental (Podkletnov & Nieminen, and Hayasaka & Takeuchi) work.
This paper was presented at the 8th International Mars Society Conference, 2005, Boulder, CO.
