| CPC F03H 3/00 (2013.01) [B64G 1/417 (2023.08)] | 20 Claims |
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1. A thrust engine for a space vessel, comprising:
a photon drive configured to be mounted to a chassis of the space vessel, the photon drive comprising:
a casing having a vacuum formed therein;
a first mirror disposed within the casing, the first mirror comprising:
a first reflective surface that is highly reflective to freely propagating electromagnetic waves, the freely propagating electromagnetic waves comprising electromagnetic waves in a visible spectrum of light; and
a liquid dielectric material in contact with the first reflective surface, the liquid dielectric material being transparent to the freely propagating electromagnetic waves; and
a second mirror disposed within the casing, the second mirror comprising a second reflective surface that is highly reflective to the freely propagating electromagnetic waves,
wherein a portion of the second reflective surface lacks any protective coating such that the portion of the second reflective surface is directly exposed to the vacuum,
wherein the photon drive is configured to receive the freely propagating electromagnetic waves from a source and inject the freely propagating electromagnetic waves into the casing such that the freely propagating electromagnetic waves are reflected between the first mirror and the second mirror multiple times, passing through the liquid dielectric material when reflecting off the first mirror, but reflecting off the second mirror while in the vacuum, thereby contributing to a net thrust force for the space vessel.
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