Hyper-energetic manned aerospacecraft propelled by intense pulsed microwave power beam
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)
The objective of this research was to exploit wireless power transmission (microwave/millimeter)--to lower manned space transportation costs by two or three orders of magnitude. Concepts have been developed for lightweight, mass-producible, beam-propelled aerospacecraft called Lightcraft. The vehicles are designed for a ``mass-poor, energy-rich`` (i.e., hyper-energetic) flight infrastructure which utilizes remote microwave power stations to build an energy-beam highway to space. Although growth in laser power levels has lagged behind expectations, microwave and millimeter-wave source technology now exists for rapid scaling to the megawatt and gigawatt time-average power levels. The design exercise focused on the engine, structure, and receptive optics requirements for a 15 meter diameter, 5 person Earth-to-moon aerospacecraft. Key elements in the air breathing accelerator propulsion system are: (a) a ``flight-weight`` 35GHz rectenna electric powerplant, (b) microwave-induced ``Air Spike`` and perimeter air-plasma generators, and (c) MagnetoHydroDynamic-Fanjet (or MHD-Fanjet) engine with its superconducting magnets and external electrodes.
- OSTI ID:
- 116396
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950793-; ISBN 0-8194-1916-8; TRN: IM9545%%366
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 40. annual meeting of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, San Diego, CA (United States), 9-14 Jul 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Intense microwave pulses III; Brandt, H.E. [ed.] [Army Research Lab., Adelphi, MD (United States)]; PB: 546 p.; Proceedings/SPIE, Volume 2557
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Laser to lift lightcraft into space
Calibration and Validation of a 6-DOF Laser Propelled Lightcraft Flight Dynamics Model vs. Experimental Data