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Title: VISTA -- A Vehicle for Interplanetary Space Transport Application Powered by Inertial Confinement Fusion

Abstract

Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) is an ideal technology to power self-contained single-stage piloted (manned) spacecraft within the solar system because of its inherently high power/mass ratios and high specific impulses (i.e., high exhaust velocities). These technological advantages are retained when ICF is utilized with a magnetic thrust chamber, which avoids the plasma thermalization and resultant degradation of specific impulse that are unavoidable with the use of mechanical thrust chambers. We started with Rod Hyde's 1983 description of an ICF-powered engine concept using a magnetic thrust chamber, and conducted a more detailed systems study to develop a viable, realistic, and defensible spacecraft concept based on ICF technology projected to be available in the first half of the 21st century. The results include an entirely new conical spacecraft conceptual design utilizing near-existing radiator technology. We describe the various vehicle systems for this new concept, estimate the missions performance capabilities for general missions to the planets within the solar system, and describe in detail the performance for the baseline mission of a piloted roundtrip to Mars with a 100-ton payload. For this mission, we show that roundtrips totaling {ge}145 days are possible with advanced DT fusion technology and a total (wet) spacecraft massmore » of about 6000 metric tons. Such short-duration missions are advantageous to minimize the known cosmic-radiation hazards to astronauts, and are even more important to minimize the physiological deteriorations arising from zero gravity. These ICF-powered missions are considerably faster than those available using chemical or nuclear-electric-propulsion technologies with minimum-mass vehicle configurations. VISTA also offers onboard artificial gravity and propellant-based shielding from cosmic rays, thus reducing the known hazards and physiological deteriorations to insignificant levels. We emphasize, however, that the degree to which an ICF-powered vehicle can outperform a vehicle using any other realistic technology depends on the degree to which terrestrial-based ICF research can develop the necessary energy gain from ICF targets. With aggressive progress in such terrestrial research, VISTA will be able to make roundtrip missions to Pluto in {approx}7 years, and missions to points just beyond the solar system within a human lifetime.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
US Department of Energy (US)
OSTI Identifier:
15015945
Report Number(s):
UCRL-TR-110500
TRN: US0501673
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-48
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 31 Mar 2005
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS; 42 ENGINEERING; 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; ASTRONAUTS; COSMIC RADIATION; DESIGN; ENGINES; INERTIAL CONFINEMENT; INTERPLANETARY SPACE; LIFETIME; METRICS; PLANETS; PLASMA; RADIATORS; SHIELDING; SOLAR SYSTEM; THERMALIZATION; TRANSPORT; WEIGHTLESSNESS

Citation Formats

Orth, C D. VISTA -- A Vehicle for Interplanetary Space Transport Application Powered by Inertial Confinement Fusion. United States: N. p., 2005. Web. doi:10.2172/15015945.
Orth, C D. VISTA -- A Vehicle for Interplanetary Space Transport Application Powered by Inertial Confinement Fusion. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/15015945
Orth, C D. 2005. "VISTA -- A Vehicle for Interplanetary Space Transport Application Powered by Inertial Confinement Fusion". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/15015945. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/15015945.
@article{osti_15015945,
title = {VISTA -- A Vehicle for Interplanetary Space Transport Application Powered by Inertial Confinement Fusion},
author = {Orth, C D},
abstractNote = {Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) is an ideal technology to power self-contained single-stage piloted (manned) spacecraft within the solar system because of its inherently high power/mass ratios and high specific impulses (i.e., high exhaust velocities). These technological advantages are retained when ICF is utilized with a magnetic thrust chamber, which avoids the plasma thermalization and resultant degradation of specific impulse that are unavoidable with the use of mechanical thrust chambers. We started with Rod Hyde's 1983 description of an ICF-powered engine concept using a magnetic thrust chamber, and conducted a more detailed systems study to develop a viable, realistic, and defensible spacecraft concept based on ICF technology projected to be available in the first half of the 21st century. The results include an entirely new conical spacecraft conceptual design utilizing near-existing radiator technology. We describe the various vehicle systems for this new concept, estimate the missions performance capabilities for general missions to the planets within the solar system, and describe in detail the performance for the baseline mission of a piloted roundtrip to Mars with a 100-ton payload. For this mission, we show that roundtrips totaling {ge}145 days are possible with advanced DT fusion technology and a total (wet) spacecraft mass of about 6000 metric tons. Such short-duration missions are advantageous to minimize the known cosmic-radiation hazards to astronauts, and are even more important to minimize the physiological deteriorations arising from zero gravity. These ICF-powered missions are considerably faster than those available using chemical or nuclear-electric-propulsion technologies with minimum-mass vehicle configurations. VISTA also offers onboard artificial gravity and propellant-based shielding from cosmic rays, thus reducing the known hazards and physiological deteriorations to insignificant levels. We emphasize, however, that the degree to which an ICF-powered vehicle can outperform a vehicle using any other realistic technology depends on the degree to which terrestrial-based ICF research can develop the necessary energy gain from ICF targets. With aggressive progress in such terrestrial research, VISTA will be able to make roundtrip missions to Pluto in {approx}7 years, and missions to points just beyond the solar system within a human lifetime.},
doi = {10.2172/15015945},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/15015945}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Mar 31 00:00:00 EST 2005},
month = {Thu Mar 31 00:00:00 EST 2005}
}