Inertial Propulsion: The Holy Grail of Travel to the Stars
Harvey E. Fiala
This paper will give a definition of Inertial Propulsion and a brief summary of some of the different approaches that have tried to achieve it or claim to have achieved it. In it strict sense of the word, Inertial Propulsion is the ability to move or accelerate a body in some direction without the use of a propellant or the application of an external force.
The energy required to accomplish this must be contained within the body (for limited movement or acceleration), or the body may generate the required energy by harnessing energy that may be present in the aether, whether it is electrical, magnetic, nuclear, gravitational, acoustic, or zero point energy for unlimited movement or duration of acceleration. Any form of energy present in the vicinity of the body may be said to exist in the aether occupied by the body unless the energy is shielded from entering into that space. A brief account of the NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project is also given.
