Direct Fusion Drive for a Human Mars Orbital Mission

Conference · Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Proceedings, International Astronautical Congress (AIC) IAC-12,C4,7-C3.5,10

OSTI ID:1182281

Paluszek, Michael ^[1]; Pajer, Gary ^[1]; Razin, Yosef ^[1]; Slonaker, James ^[1]; Cohen, Samuel ^[2]; Feder, Russ ^[2]; Griffin, Kevin ^[3]; Walsh, Matthew ^[3]

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1. Princeton Satellite Systems
2. PPPL
3. Princeton University

The Direct Fusion Drive (DFD) is a nuclear fusion engine that produces both thrust and electric power. It employs a field reversed configuration with an odd-parity rotating magnetic field heating system to heat the plasma to fusion temperatures. The engine uses deuterium and helium-3 as fuel and additional deuterium that is heated in the scrape-off layer for thrust augmentation. In this way variable exhaust velocity and thrust is obtained.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC02-09CH11466
• OSTI ID: 1182281
• Report Number(s): PPPL-5064
• Journal Information: Proceedings, International Astronautical Congress (AIC) IAC-12,C4,7-C3.5,10, Conference: The 65th International Astronautical Congress (AIC), 29 September - 3 October, 2014, Toronto, Canada.
• Publisher: IAC, Toronto, Canada
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
Advanced Fuels
Compact Toroids
Electric Propulsion
Field Reversed Configurations
Rotamak