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Topic: VASIMR

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	Wired 9.01: Zip Drive
		Vasimr's chief scientist and driving force is Franklin Ramòn Chang-Dìaz, 50, a Costa Rican-born American of Chinese and Spanish descent, and one of the all-time frequent fliers of the space shuttle.
		In Vasimr, this network is formed by three sets of copper coils arranged like a row of doughnuts with their holes aligned.
		Vasimr's escape mode is designed to thrust at 500 newtons with a specific impulse of 3,000 seconds, but it consumes propellant too quickly to sustain an interplanetary journey.
	www.wired.com /wired/archive/9.01/plasma_pr.html (4552 words)

	Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		VASIMRs are intended to bridge the gap between high-thrust, low-specific impulse propulsion systems and low-thrust, high-specific impulse systems, as they are capable of functioning in either mode simply by adjusting their parameters of operation.
		Current VASIMR designs should be capable of producing specific impulses ranging from 10,000-300,000 m/s (1,000-30,000 seconds) - the low end of this range is comparable to some ion thruster designs.
		One possible future enhancement of the VASIMR system may be to promote fusion among the atoms of the propellant; this could provide a great deal of extra heating, and therefore provide even greater thrust than the electrical input into the system would otherwise allow.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Variable_specific_impulse_magnetoplasma_rocket (456 words)

	Superfast VASIMR Rocket in Funding Limbo
		A VASIMR rocket system consists of three major magnetic cells denoted as "forward," "central" and "aft." To get the rocket roaring, a neutral gas, typically hydrogen, is first injected at the forward-end cell of the motor and ionized.
		VASIMR seems to be as polarized as any technology at JSC.
		For instance, one space propulsion expert critical of VASIMR observed that for the thruster to be useful for a human mission to Mars it needs four to six megawatts of power.
	www.space.com /businesstechnology/technology/vasimr_rocket_020807-1.html (1196 words)

	Howstuffworks "How Fusion Propulsion Will Work"
		VASIMR is actually a plasma rocket, which is a precursor to fusion propulsion.
		The VASIMR engine is quite amazing in that it creates plasma under extremely hot conditions and then expels that plasma to provide thrust.
		On a mission to Mars, a VASIMR engine would continuously accelerate for the first half of the journey, then reverse its direction and slow down for the second half.
	science.howstuffworks.com /fusion-propulsion2.htm (853 words)

	Superfast VASIMR Rocket in Funding Limbo
		VASIMR is being looked at as candidate technology for other missions as well.
		A strong supporter of VASIMR is astronaut John Young, noting that the engine is ideal for planetary defense work.
		VASIMR was saved, but the project was given funding just through the rest of the year, he said.
	www.space.com /businesstechnology/technology/vasimr_rocket_020807-2.html (738 words)

	VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket)
		Unlike conventional rocket engines, which ignite a mix of fuel and oxidizer to generate thrust, VASIMR uses a series of magnetic fields to create and accelerate plasma, or high-temperature ionized gas.
		If VASIMR is successfully developed, it could cut in half the time needed for travel to Mars.
		In addition, VASIMR could permit such a mission to abort to Earth if problems developed during the early phases of the mission, a capability not available to conventional engines.
	www.daviddarling.info /encyclopedia/V/VASIMR.html (414 words)

	NASAexplores - Express Lessons and Online Resources
		This means the fuel for the VASIMR engine could also be used to protect the crew from dangerous radiation exposure during the flight.
		If the tests are successful, the VASIMR prototype could be moved to a different part of the Station and used to help keep it in orbit.
		VASIMR is still years away from being used in space.
	www.nasaexplores.com /search_nav_5_8.php?id=03-027&gl=58 (819 words)

	Advanced Rocketry: NASA Works On Powerful Plasma Rockets
		The heart of VASIMR is three magnetic cells that ionize, amplify the heating and direct the flow of the plasma.
		The VASIMR rocket is designed for extremely high thrust.
		VASIMR draws upon decades of Department of Energy research into using magnetically contained nuclear fusion as a power source.
	www.space.com /businesstechnology/technology/plasma_propulsion_000616.html (767 words)

	Superfast VASIMR Rocket in Funding Limbo (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
		A VASIMR rocket system consists of three major magnetic cells denoted as "forward," "central" and "aft." To get the rocket roaring, a neutral gas, typically hydrogen, is first injected at the forward-end cell of the motor and ionized.
		For instance, one space propulsion expert critical of VASIMR observed that for the thruster to be useful for a human mission to Mars it needs four to six megawatts of power.
		VASIMR was saved, but the project was given funding just through the rest of the year, he said.
	www.freerepublic.com /focus/f-news/729396/posts (3206 words)

	ion-drives
		VASIMR drives are similar to ion drives in that they eject an ionized plasma but they use extreme temperatures rather than electrostatic acceleration of ions.
		VASIMR can be operated at higher power levels than electrostatic ion drives.
		Intuition tells me that PITs may function better than VASIMR with magnesium vapor and that PIT is preferable to MPD because it has no electrodes to wear out.
	www.moonminer.com /ion-drives.html (1424 words)

	New Rocket Engines Fuel Dreams of Manned Mars Flights [Free Republic]
		Vasimr avoids the melting engine problem by containing and guiding the gases with magnetic fields.
		Vasimr is not the only engine being considered for a mission.
		A Vasimr engine does not directly use a nuclear reactor, but a rocket powerful enough to send people to Mars would need to tap into a 10-megawatt power source to generate the magnetic fields and radio waves.
	www.freerepublic.com /forum/a394fa389764b.htm (1619 words)

	News: The Engine That Does More (May 27. 2003)
		Another benefit of 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.
		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.
		If the tests prove successful, the VASIMR prototype could be moved to a different part of the Station and used to help keep it in orbit.
	liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov /news/2003/news-VASIMR.asp (1185 words)

	Final Gallery
		VASIMR â“ Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoelectric Rocket The VASIMR rocket motor, pioneered by Franklin Chang-Diaz, is the first of its kind; a plasma rocket.
		VASIMR uses a sort of space age microwave to propel the super heated plasma out the rear of the rocket and propel the craft.
		The Irony The idea for the VASIMR project started in the 1950s when researchers were beginning to try and use fusion to generate massive amounts of energy by compressing light elements into heavier elements.
	aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov /has/Students/finalgall.cfm?id=523 (460 words)

	Variable-Specific-Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
		The VASIMR is expected to be commercially useful for boosting communication satellites and other Earth-orbiting spacecraft to higher orbits, retrieving and servicing spacecraft in high orbits around the Earth, and boosting high-payload robotic spacecraft on very fast missions to other planets.
		Because the VASIMR uses plasma to produce thrust, it is related to several previously developed thrusters; namely, the ion engine, the stationary plasma thruster (SPT) (also known as the Hall thruster), and the magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster [also known as the Lorentz-force accelerator (LFA)].
		The VASIMR is flexible and adaptable to both fast transfers of humans and slower high-payload robotic missions; hence, there would be no need to develop separate propulsion systems for missions of each type, and costs would be held down accordingly.
	www.nasatech.com /Briefs/Sep01/MSC23041.html (973 words)

	Transterrestrial Musings
		VASIMR isn't a practical space drive at the moment; and may never be.
		Although VASIMR may not yet be as mass efficient as conventional EP (although, to be fair, it's not at the same TRL either), that does NOT mean that it requires some massive multi-megawatt powerplant just to work.
		VASIMR should be used for now as the best choice for a propulsion system for a mission to mars.
	www.transterrestrial.com /archives/004223.html (4861 words)

	Investigation of Plasma-Flow Characteristics in a Magneto-Plasma Rocket (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
		However, the essential difference between VASIMR and a chemical rocket engine is that VASIMR will produce a very high specific impulse at relatively low thrust (i.e., a low density, high velocity exhaust), while a chemical rocket engine produces high thrust at relatively low specific impulse (i.e., a high density, low velocity exhaust).
		The particular niche filled by VASIMR in the electric propulsion community is that of a relatively high-power plasma propulsion system that is focused on human space flight, rather than on less massive unmanned, robotic space flight missions.
		Adding VASIMR for the interplanetary section of the journey would reduce the trip to as little as 39 days carrying 20 tons of cargo, or 115 days for a larger 61-ton cargo load, equipped as it is with a nuclear power generation system.
	www.isso.uh.edu /publications/A2003/garrison.htm (1514 words)

	Project Gallery - Texas Aerospace Scholars Program
		VASIMR uses plasma as its propellant and the estimated trip would take approximately three months.
		The VASIMR system is composed of three magnetic cells: the forward cell, the central cell, and the aft cell.
		Instead of stagnating, we should delve into the exploration of Mars by continuing research into the various propulsion possibilities, especially the VASIMR system, and planning on a mission for the future.
	www.isset.org /nasa/tss/aerospacescholars.org/scholars/thilinir.htm (1165 words)

	News 1 -- The Daily Cougar Online (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
		Bering said the VASIMR system has the potential to reduce travel time to the red planet to a matter of weeks from more than six months.
		Chemical rockets are standard today, but the VASIMR project uses electrical propulsion in which a plasma propellant is accelerated to high velocities using electrical energy.
		And, though a manned mission is a key focus of the VASIMR project, it also has potential as a defense against an asteroid on a collision course with the Earth.
	www.stp.uh.edu /vol70/3/news/news1.html (630 words)

	Chang-Diaz takes Lab audience on travel through space \| The Newsbulletin \| August 17, 2004
		The mass flow rate of the gas into the ionization chamber is controllable with a throttle, changing the specific impulse of the engine.
		According to information on the Web, a VASIMR rocket system consists of three major magnetic cells: "forward," "central" and "aft." To get the rocket roaring, a neutral gas, typically hydrogen, is first injected at the forward-end cell of the motor and ionized.
		The VASIMR engine has the capability to reduce travel time to a few months, much shorter than today's chemical rockets, making manned missions to Mars a real possibility, said Chang-Diaz.
	www.lanl.gov /orgs/pa/newsbulletin/2004/08/17/text05.shtml (654 words)

	NuclearSpace: Looking Toward the Future
		VASIMR works by heating hydrogen and helium gas to one million degrees Celsius inside a magnetic field to prevent the engine and spacecraft from melting.
		Once heated, the gas is ejected from the spacecraft at a velocity of up to 320 kilometers per second (ground tests have been able to achieve a velocity of up to 100 kilometers per second thus far).
		VASIMR would likely use a 12 megawatt nuclear reactor and would take the same 115 days to get to Mars, but with far less payload.
	www.nuclearspace.com /a_looking_toward_future.htm (2106 words)

	NASA - Propulsion Systems of the Future
		For example, NASA researchers believe that VASIMR would be able to travel to Mars much more quickly than a contemporary chemical-powered rocket, and then, once there, to refuel on Mars for the return flight to Earth.
		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.
		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.
	www.nasa.gov /vision/space/travelinginspace/future_propulsion.html (894 words)

	NASA Tech Briefs - Variable-Specific-Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket
		The VASIMR is expected to be commercially useful for boosting communication satellites and other Earth-orbiting spacecraft to higher orbits, retrieving and servicing spacecraft in high orbits around the Earth, and boosting high-payload robotic spacecraft on very fast missions to other planets.
		By far, the greatest potential of the VASIMR is expected to lie in its ability to significantly reduce the trip times for human missions to Mars and beyond.
		Because the VASIMR uses plasma to produce thrust, it is related to several previously developed thrusters; namely, the ion engine, the stationary plasma thruster (SPT) (also known as the Hall thruster), and the magneto- plasmadynamic (MPD) thruster [also known as the Lorentz-force accelerator (LFA)].
	www.techbriefs.com /content/view/1768/32 (646 words)

	Physics 105 - How Things Work - Problem Set #6 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
		One possibility is the VASIMR engine, an engine that uses radio waves to heat its exhaust so hot that the exhaust leaves the engine at 300 km/s (about 700,000 mph).
		A normal rocket exhaust speed is only 4 km/s, so the VASIMR engine exhaust travels about 75 times as fast as normal engine exhaust.
		Explain why the spaceship portion of the VASIMR rocket would reach a final speed of 3,000 km/s.
	rabi.phys.virginia.edu /105/2000/ps6.html (612 words)

	SPACE-TALK - artificial gravity (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
		I think in theory a VASIMR can work if its large enough - its the engine that combines the most efficiency with the most power currently - so I think it should be used.
		basically what its saying is that vasimr engines are more efficient and exhaust velocities of around 100 times faster around 300km/s instead of 4.5km/s for regular chemical propulsion methods.
		The ideal I think is that if you can get enough plasma flowing through and out a vasimr you can increase thrust at the expensive of some efficiency - or just design a bigger vasimr and keep the weight of the ship down for a higher degree of artificial g.
	www.space-talk.com /ForumE/showthread.php3?postid=26876 (1464 words)

	Investigation of Plasma Flow Characteristics in a Magneto-Plasma Rocket (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
		If we are to fulfill the goal of human exploration of other worlds, the VASIMR engine is an absolute necessity, as the efficiency of the engine permits a favorable ratio of payload mass to spacecraft mass, one that allows long-duration space exploration missions to be realistically contemplated.
		The proposed experimental study of VASIMR flow dynamics involves utilizing existing sensors (such as Langmuir probes and "B-dot sensors" for magnetic field fluctuations) and building new ones (such as magnetic "Rogowski coils", which measure total current passing through the coil) to monitor interior and exterior plasma dynamics.
		The VASIMR team that currently exists has done very well in its research to date and has been moving steadily forward in the attainment of its goal: A human space flight-qualified, high-performance plasma rocket engine.
	www.isso.uh.edu /postdoc/2004/garrison.htm (1532 words)

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