No it is because the Chinese test dumped kilowatts of energy into the test item but the NASA test used only miniscule power. The guy you replied to presented the facts in a misleading way.
I'm slightly more skeptical about EmDrive than optimistic, however, you are right: if someone has to distort the truth in order to make a point it might be time that they question their standpoint on a matter. This looks like a lot of opinions about science. Which is a logical contradiction. An opinion has absolutely no sway in determining whether or not the device works. Opinions have nothing to do with science.
The device will either be shown to work or not to work with additional experiments and nothing anyone says regarding how it can or can't work will change that.
The new test was at slightly lower power but within an order of magnitude of the original test: 700 W versus 2.5 kW. The measured effect, on the other hand, has decreased by more than four orders of magnitude.
I haven't studied the theory behind the device, but it's hardly a distortion to characterize such a disproportionate drop as a declining effect size in the face of additional testing.
Like you, I don't claim to have any idea whether this ultimately pans out. As I said, the ultimate test is to put one in space and see what it does. Until that (or at least a more promising lab test) happens, all we have is speculation. But my point is that more skepticism is warranted than was implied by the Wired headline and by some of the comments in this thread.
zamalek|10 years ago
The device will either be shown to work or not to work with additional experiments and nothing anyone says regarding how it can or can't work will change that.
Niten|10 years ago
I haven't studied the theory behind the device, but it's hardly a distortion to characterize such a disproportionate drop as a declining effect size in the face of additional testing.
Like you, I don't claim to have any idea whether this ultimately pans out. As I said, the ultimate test is to put one in space and see what it does. Until that (or at least a more promising lab test) happens, all we have is speculation. But my point is that more skepticism is warranted than was implied by the Wired headline and by some of the comments in this thread.