| Title: | Space Exploration |
| Notice: | Shuttle launch schedules, see Note 6 |
| Moderator: | PRAGMA::GRIFFIN |
| Created: | Mon Feb 17 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Thu Jun 05 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 974 |
| Total number of notes: | 18843 |
From the Superconductor Newsletter:
Plasma fusion rocket team targets Mars
New Technology Week March 20, 1989 p. 3-4
ISSN: 0894-0789
Researchers at MIT's Plasma Fusion Center have developed a plasma
fusion rocket that could reduce space flight time for a manned Martian space
vehicle to 2 mos vs the 8 mos required with conventional rocket propulsion
methods. The rocket, a joint effort of NASA, MIT and the Air Force, would
enable constant acceleration at 300,000 mph inducing artificial gravity of
0.1G on board the craft. The craft would be assembled in low-earth orbit
and use backward engine firing to brake its descent into the Martian
atmosphere. Because no known substance can withstand the temperatures
required for plasma fuels--10 mil+ degrees--the fuel is contained within a
strong magnetic field generated by superconducting electromagnetic coils.
The device will have to withstand -300F to -200F temperatures and be
insulated against solar-induced temperatures of up to 60-100F. A small
multi-megawatt nuclear reactor will be needed to produce power for the
electromagnetic coils and would be constructed in orbit--1,000 km from
Earth. Unfortunately, no superconducting electromagnetic coils capable of
-300F operation or small nuclear reactors with multi-megawatt power have
been developed. Researchers are optimistic that the breakthroughs will
occur, but concede that they are unable to predict when.
--------------------------------------------------
Editorial comment: Kind of reminds me of the Frank and Earnest
strip where they're in front of a blackboard filled with math
formulas and at a critical spot there's the notation : "And then
a miracle happens..."! But I thought it worth posting here
because this is where I think the real value in superconductors lies.
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 529.1 | Buy palladium mining stock too | DECWIN::FISHER | Burns Fisher 381-1466, ZKO3-4/W23 | Thu Apr 20 1989 13:31 | 7 |
Maybe we can stick in a little multi-megawatt cold fusion power generator here to make the power... Does anyone get the feeling that 1989 might sometime be know as "The year that it all started coming together?" Burns | |||||
| 529.2 | We can hope.... | CIMNET::CREASER | Thu Apr 20 1989 17:13 | 3 | |
I circle it on my calendar!
Jerry
| |||||
| 529.3 | One Step at a Time - As We've Always Done | BOSHOG::SCHWARTZ | Hum a Satanic Verse for Khomeini | Wed Apr 26 1989 20:24 | 12 |
re .1
Not particularly - no more so than the many other small breakthroughs
that have occurred through the last several centuries (or decades
during this last one.
Having a rocket engine that will work - and "only" needs a power
source and superconductors to build it is a giant step beyond not
knowing how to build a better rocket motor, now, isn't it?
-**Ted**-
| |||||
| 529.4 | Using lunar Helium-3 for fusion power | VERGA::KLAES | Slaves to the Metal Hordes | Sun Jul 05 1992 19:04 | 56 |
Article: 45658 From: [email protected] (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) Newsgroups: sci.physics.fusion,sci.space Subject: Lunar helium-3 in July *Fusion Technology* Date: 4 Jul 92 00:30:40 GMT Sender: [email protected] Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory In the Interesting Things In Journals I Don't Usually Look At Department, the July 1992 issue of *Fusion Technology* (vol. 21, no. 4) is a "Special Issue on D-3He Fusion." It's apparently been taken over by the University of Wisconsin crowd, who published the paper in *FT* that kicked off the discussion of lunar helium-3 supplies in 1986. (Wittenberg, Santarius, and Kulcinski, "Lunar Source of 3He fpr Commercial Fusion Power," *FT* v10, p.167 (1986).) I'll give the titles of the papers in this issue; if you're interested you can look them up yourself. Preface: Special Issues on D-3He Fusion Fusion Power from Lunar Resources A Review of 3He Resources and Acquisition for Use as Fusion Fuel D-3He Fusion in the Joint European Torus Tokamak-- Recent Experimental Results Spin Polarization Effect on Ignition Access Condition for D-T and D-3He Tokamak Fusion Reactors Potential for D-3He Experiments in Next-Generation Tokamaks Summary of Apollo, a D-3He Tokamak Reactor Design Operational Parameters for D-3He in Field-Reversed Configurations Conceptual Design of the D-3He Reactor Artemis D-3He-Fueled Fusion Power Plant Based on the Pulsatory Field-Reversed Configuration The Pulsator Concept as a Possible Technique for Formation of a Field-Reversed Configuration (Uh-oh, there are more articles, but I forgot to photocopy the second page of contents. Well, you get the idea.) O~~* /_) ' / / /_/ ' , , ' ,_ _ \|/ - ~ -~~~~~~~~~~~/_) / / / / / / (_) (_) / / / _\~~~~~~~~~~~zap! / \ (_) (_) / | \ | | Bill Higgins Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory \ / Bitnet: [email protected] - - Internet: [email protected] ~ SPAN/Hepnet: 43011::HIGGINS | |||||