Transport vehicle for manned Mars missions powered by inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is an ideal engine power source for manned spacecraft to Mars because of its inherently high power-to-mass ratios and high specific impulses. We have produced a concept for a vehicle powered by ICF and utilizing a magnetic thrust chamber to avoid plasma thermalization with wall structures and the resultant degradation of specific impulse that are unavoidable with the use of mechanical thrust chambers. This vehicle is capable of 100-day manned Mars missions with a 100-metric-ton payload and a total vehicle launch mass near 6000 metric tons, based on advanced technology assumed to be available by A.D. 2020. Such short-duration missions minimize radiation exposures and physiological deterioration of astronauts.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA); Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, CA (USA); Rockwell International Corp., Canoga Park, CA (USA). Rocketdyne Div.; National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, TX (USA). Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6056341
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-96832; CONF-8706157-2; ON: DE87012909; TRN: 87-031668
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 23. AIAA/SAE/ASME/ASEE joint propulsion conference, San Diego, CA, USA, 29 Jun 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
DESIGN
RADIATION HAZARDS
SPACE VEHICLES
DEUTERIUM
EXCIMER LASERS
HEAT PIPES
HEAVY ION FUSION REACTIONS
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
MARS PLANET
POWER SYSTEMS
THERMONUCLEAR FUELS
THRUSTERS
TRITIUM
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CONFINEMENT
ENERGY SYSTEMS
FUELS
GAS LASERS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LASERS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MOBILE REACTORS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLANETS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
POWER REACTORS
PROPULSION REACTORS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTORS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
STABLE ISOTOPES
VEHICLES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
700208* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Inertial Confinement Technology
700209 - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Component Development & Materials Testing
700206 - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Environmental Aspects