WONDER #2433: How Does Electromagnetic Propulsion Work?

Question 1 of 3

What is electromagnetic propulsion?

1. The use of fossil fuels to make cars move.
2. The force that gives gravity its strength.
3. The law of physics that lets spaceships take off.
4. The use of electromagnetism to make objects move forward.

Question 2 of 3

Which piece of evidence shows that using lighter fuel would greatly reduce the weight of space ships?

1. “For example, NASA’s Space Shuttles had a liftoff weight of 4.5 million pounds”
2. “If the EmDrive does work, it would be a much cleaner method of space travel.”
3. “In the case of the Space Shuttles, fuel made up about half the weight of the entire craft at liftoff.”
4. “Many scientists chalk the EmDrive up to pseudoscience. They think it defies Newton’s Third Law.”

Question 3 of 3

This Wonder was mostly about...

1. why people think humans will one day live on the Moon.
2. what electromagnetic propulsion is and why some scientists think it could make space travel faster.
3. the fastest spacecraft in the world and how we can make them even faster.
4. the life of Roger Shawyer.

Check your answers online at https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/How-Does-Electromagnetic-Propulsion-Work.