An interview with Marc Millis, founder of the Tau Zero Foundation, was posted yesterday on Alan Boyle’s Cosmic Log on the MSNBC Web site. After discussing the so-called ‘antigravity’ phenomenon known as the Podkletnov effect, which has been called into serious question by recent studies that found no evidence for it, Millis went on to discuss other, more intriguing research. From the interview:

Millis is more interested in research into the Woodward effect – “a transient inertia effect” that could eventually have implications for propulsion, if verified – as well as a more recent study of “a fairly large gravitomagnetic effect, too large to be explained with general relativity as we understand it so far.”

He cautioned that “we’re not talking about an immediate propulsive effect, and it might be a measuring artifact.” But at least the research illustrates that there are still mysteries out there that could someday turn those science-fiction dreams into practical starflight.

Centauri Dreams will have more to say about Woodward’s explanation of inertia and its connection to Mach’s principle in a future post.