Vasimr, Magnetoplasma Rocket Options

[ljk4-1]

FORMER ASTRONAUT TO LEAD ADVANCED ROCKET CONCEPT
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NASA has signed an agreement with Houston-based Ad Astra Rocket Co. that
paves the way for commercialization of a promising advanced plasma rocket
system that has evolved over the past 25 years.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0601/27plasmarocket/


Other information sources on VASIMR:

http://www.adastrarocket.com/VASIMR.html

http://dma.ing.uniroma1.it/users/bruno/Petro.prn.pdf

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/fed/edu/summer/summer01/munden.pdf

http://www.nasatech.com/Briefs/Sep01/MSC23041.html

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/traveling...propulsion.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VASIMR

[RNeuhaus]

"This is a propulsion system that is vastly different from the conventional chemical rockets of today, with the potential for vastly better results," said Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz, a former astronaut who spearheaded the development of the technology while with NASA. "The promise this system holds could dramatically reduce the travel time for interplanetary missions, cutting trip times to Mars by one half or better."

VASIMR is a plasma-based propulsion system. An electric power source is used to ionize fuel into plasma. Electric fields heat and accelerate the plasma while the magnetic fields direct the plasma in the proper direction as it is ejected from the engine, creating thrust for the spacecraft. The engine can even vary the amount of thrust generated, allowing it to increase or decrease its acceleration. It even features an "afterburner" mode that sacrifices fuel efficiency for additional speed. Possible fuels for the VASIMR engine could include hydrogen, helium, and deuterium.

The use of hydrogen as the fuel for the VASIMR project has many side benefits, according to researcher Franklin Chang-Diaz. In addition to being the director of the Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory, Chang-Diaz is an astronaut who has flown into space on seven missions, more than any other NASA astronaut. "We're likely to find hydrogen pretty much anywhere we go in the solar system," he said. What this means is that a VASIMR-powered spacecraft could be launched with only enough fuel to get to its destination, such as Mars, and then pick up more hydrogen upon arrival to serve as fuel for the return trip home. Another benefit f hydrogen fuel is that hydrogen is the best known radiation shield, so the fuel for the VASIMR engine could also be used to protect the crew from harmful effects of radiation exposure during the flight.

The selection of hydrogen is a good choice since it can be found in many places such as helium, and deuterium.


Electrical power sources for the VASIMR engine could include such things as a nuclear power system or solar panels. For long-range flights, Chang-Diaz said, the best option is nuclear power. "Nuclear power is definitely a must if we're going to go to Mars," he said. This means that VASIMR could be integrated with NASA's recently announced Project Prometheus proposal to develop nuclear power

VASIMR will depend upon on some kind of RTG as the source for electrical power.
I don't like that idea but at least it is only good for starting.

After VASIMR completes some additional earthbound testing, its designers hope for it to be tested in orbit onboard the International Space Station. A prototype engine would be mounted on the ISS's truss to demonstrate how it works. The prototype would draw its electrical power from the Station's solar panels. If the test were successful, the VASIMR prototype could be moved to a different part of the Station and used to help keep it in orbit. While ISS orbits the Earth, atmospheric drag gradually pulls it closer to the Earth. Every so often, the Station has to be boosted back into a higher orbit. This is done by a variety of means, but all of them require fuel launched into orbit from Earth. The VASIMR engine, however, could change that, since it would use hydrogen, which is already generated as a waste product on the Station. By using waste hydrogen and electricity from the Station's solar panels, VASIMR could maintain the ISS's orbit without requiring any additional fuel. "This is very exciting for us, because NASA would be able to solve a very serious problem," he said

Astronauts must get enough courage to live along with the new experiment: VASMIR in ISS.

Although VASIMR is still years away from being used in space, Chang-Diaz said that it has already shown great promise during tests on Earth. So, it is entirely possible that the engine that will carry the first person to Mars is already running in a laboratory on Earth.

I speculate it would be ready before the ISS is out of business, that is by the year 2010....After then, it would be utilized for the next Moon and Mars missions.

Interesting. The time trip to Mars would be shortened to 3 months. It is reasonably not long time to study all instructions and procedures to be performed when the spaceship arrives at Mars.

Rodolfo

P.D.Rapid Mars Transits with Exhaust-Modulated Plasma Propulsion