Beam Experiments Aboard a Rocket (BEAR) Project. Final report: Volume 1, Project summary

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:10164015

Nunz, G J

The US Department of Defense`s Strategic Defense Initiative Organization is sponsoring the development of neutral particle beam (NPB) technology for strategic defense applications. The first step in demonstrating the functioning of an NPB in space was the development and launch of the Beam Experiments Aboard a Rocket (BEAR) in New Mexico in July 1989. A government, laboratory, and industrial team, under the technical coordination of Los Alamos National Laboratory, designed, developed, and tested the BEAR payload. The primary objective of BEAR was the operation of an NPB accelerator in space. The payload was also designed to study (1) the effects on the space vehicle of emitting an NPB and associated charged beams into the space environment; (2) the propagation and attenuation characteristics of an NPB in space; (3) the dynamics of the charged particle components of the beam in the geomagnetic field; (4) the effects of neutral effluents from the vehicle; and (5) any anomalous or unanticipated phenomena associated with operating an NPB in the space environment. The BEAR experiment successfully demonstrated operation of an NPB accelerator and propagation of the neutral beam as predicted in space, obtained first-of-a-kind NPB physics data, and demonstrated the ability of the BEAR accelerator to survive recovery and to continue operating normally. No unanticipated phenomena were encountered that would significantly delay further development of NPB technology for defensive, space-based weapon systems.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: Department of Defense, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 10164015
• Report Number(s): LA--11737-MS-Vol.1; BEAR-DT--7-1; ON: DE92018091
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
430100
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450500
ACCELERATORS
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
BEAM TRANSPORT
DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND OPERATION
DIRECTED-ENERGY WEAPONS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
NEUTRAL-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
PARTICLE BEAMS
PROGRESS REPORT
ROCKETS
SPACE VEHICLES
STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE