The VASIMR Engine: How to Get to Mars in 40 Days
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Chemical engines can only move us through the solar system so quickly, but a faster method is being engineered right now that could get us to Mars in just 40 days!
Hosted by: Reid Reimers
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4:35 Still haven't quite reached that 2018 goal. 2021 Update: "Test conducted from July 12 to 16, successfully ran the engine for 88 hours at a power level of 80 kW"
Oh man I can already imagine the jargon that will actually be realistic! Like "We need to increase argon flow into the coupler array or we won't be able to maintain the drive plasma!"
Especially in the port nacelles - they are especially succeptible to solar flux and tachyon radiation.
Why just the port nacelles? What about the starboard nacelles? They're good under those conditions?
Captain, we need more plasma!
Scerttle: you'll never reach Warp Speed with this puppy... send for Scotty Mr Sulu.
Argon Jargon, yes
I’ve met Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz before, one of the most humble and incredible persons I know. Cheers from Costa Rica, Pura Vida!
I first heard of VASIMR about 10 years ago when researching for a self-published sci-fi book. I was left really hopeful that a plasma system could make interplanetary travel feasible and quicker. I'm glad to see the update here. Mars in 40 days. Let's go for it!
Had the opportunity to go down to the spacex centre and see that VASMIR engine. Cool stuff. The physicist seemed very stressed though. Hope he's doing all right.
Fantastic! Wish I could go.
I love how info catches on as “new” years after its creation. I learned about this drive in highschool in 97.
Bruh 💀
2:15 Using argon for the plasma propellant makes sense. "Our spacecraft are so fast, they Argon."
ok time to get out of here
-escortsTherion to the door
Dude y ?
Your good jokes Argon!
ok ok, lets just diffuse this situation before it blows up :P
Bless the person who wrote this.
The Improbability Drive is really the way to go.
Well, it probably is...
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference.
Yes Harpy, as long as you inclued a really hot cup of tea!
does it run on unobtainium?
Michael S nope. You simply hook the logic circuits of a Bambleweeny 57 Sub-Meson Brain to an atomic vector plotter suspended in a strong Brownian Motion producer (say a nice hot cup of tea). Then work out just how improbable it is to make an infinite improbability drive and feed that figure into it.
I guess an Infinite Improbability Drive would be even better
Thorium reactor is a perfect choice for this propulsion. It's the most safe option
i really hope we get something compareable to the "epstein drive" in my lifetime!
its not gonna happen atleast in this lifetime ...unfortunately we are early.But we can bet on AI only if we could develop it in controlled way....well future is dicey my friend
Me too
@@ankitojha9178 maybe we can have an AI help invent us something like the epstein drive
No chance
nah, that idea died in prison
If Jules Verne were alive today: "Around The Solar System In 80 Days"
More 2.1 yr odd.
Chris Hadfield, you are great while explaining to us your Master Class, thanks a lot !!
Someone has to turn this into a VASIMR ASMR vid.
This host/speaker does a really great job and he was clearly born to do this type of work. Keep it up!
When you upgraded your Chemical thrusters to Ion Thrusters for your ships in Stellaris.
When you're polish and just can read the schema :)
Feels good man
Dokładnie tak jak piszesz :) Pozdro
Is it a Polish design?
Things, that Google finds for you...
Jakub Borowski nie, a wzięli polski schemat ponieważ ładniej rozrysowany niż na angielskiej wikipedii wymodelowany ;)
Ciekły wodór - liquid hydrogen
Pompa - pump
rozdzielacz frakcji ciekłej i gazowej - liquid/gas fraction separator
wtryskiwacz gazu - gas injector
spiralna antena grzewcza - spiral heating antenna
druga antena mikrofalowa - 2nd microwave antenna
zasilanie przednich elektromagnesów - front electromagnet power supply
zasilanie anten mikrofalowych - microwave antennas power supply
źródło zasilania - power supply
zasilanie centralnego elektromagnesu - central elektromagnet power supply
zasilanie dyszy magnetycznej - magnetic nozzle power supply
dopalacz plazmowy - plazma afterburner
nadprzewodzace elektromagnesy - supeconductive electromagnets
radiatory - radiators
Plasma afterburner might just be the coolest sounding thing ever.
Czyli dobrze rozumiem, że ta technologia jest polska? :-)
KUBAXY of course it is! Just look at the name of the engine again, realised yet?
Actually "Vasimr" sounds a little bit russian to me. But since one of the schematics was in polish it's only reasonable to assume that much of this project comes from Poland. Hence my question to The Kwiatek.
Edit: Sorry, I don't play Witcher, and it has been years since I've read it. But now I know what you mean.
KUBAXY So... Poland can into space?
My thought is continue developing and perfecting this engine. I assume if nuclear fission creates enough power for this engine to be viable, nuclear fusion will be more than enough. I'm nobody who would have any real expertise in this, but given how many teams are working on fusion, my prediction is that one of them will have figured out how to build a small enough fusion reactor before any ITER based reactors are online in cities. Go science!
I like how the video explains that one day our trips to Mars can be much quicker than the way we are not doing it right now.
I asked the Government for the funding to perfect my Quantum HEMI engine but haven't heard back from them yet
They are too busy argueing over who is the crookedest among them....
I am sure you will get a yes from one of the quantum realities.
"but i wouldn't hold your breath" - yea I'd appreciate that
"Captain! -- The plasma relays are fused. I need at least two hours to clean and have them up and ready for even impulse, let alone warp."
Says the Captain: "You've got 45 minutes, and I need a minimum of Warp 6!"
A Crawford Boy idk what this is referencing but I like it
Nerdlin Geeksly Star Trek
Just like any Boss does!!!
You have only one hour Mr
Scott.
dammit Jim he's and engineer not a plasma scrubber!..
Could you imagine how quickly this would be up and running if NASA had our military defense budget?
Logan Vinson we would be 500 years advanced in technology, most of our modern technology comes from space
The number of projects undertaken by NASA would certainly increase and technological progress may as well, but the amount of money thrown at an organization doesn't directly translate into faster R&D.
It does to a high degree with NASA. If NASA had even 10% of the current US military budget everyone would have clean cheap nuclear energy powered by completely safe thorium salt reactors and we would have been to both Mars and Europa by now. Current fission reactor technology is extremely inefficient, extremely expensive, and prone to accidents. They were developed as a side project to the US nuclear arms program.
A molten thorium salt reactor only requires a small amount of plutonium as a neutron source to get started, then breeds U-233 to serve as more fuel. Thorium is 3 to 4 times more abundant than Uranium on Earth, and mining it is a lot easier and safer than Uranium. The thorium fuel cycle is also much more efficient. Also if the reactor overheats, it melts a safety plug at the bottom of the reactor and dumps the fuel directly into subterranean storage units where it solidifies and can sit safely until it is processed into new fuel for another cycle. They cannot effectively melt down. They can also be built at any scale. And they cannot easily be used to produce nuclear weapons.
The only reason no one is developing the technology is that nuclear energy consortiums make trillions selling enriched uranium fuel to governments, and reprocessing waste, etc. If thorium was to become developed, functional, and mature, they would lose a huge chunk of their revenue. The technology has been sitting on a shelf since the 50's apart from a few small experimental breeding reactors (that ran with great success) over the years. If NASA had invested in developing this technology (with a better budget), they would already have their power source figured out.
I can attest to HMan statements, but if they really had anywhere close to the militarys budget, we would have fusion too :p
even were the entirety of the national budget spent on NASA, it would only help our space development if the folks in Congress didn't mandate specific hardware and missions for NASA to develop as they do today (Constellation Program/SLS).
The penguins from Madagascar keep popping into my head, when they've got the nuclear reactor in the getaway van....
"Did you say nuclear?!!!""
"*Nuclear...."
good to hear that some progress has been made for the most efficient engine
can I go to mars using a microwave oven and a grape tho?
Lenny Fox
Yes you can but don't use the Black Grapes they don't work.
Yes but the microwave and the grape would be passengers like you in the process.
Build a disposable stargate out of crap you bought online and a microwave. Take the grape with you and plant it on mars.
I was on the way till I forgot to take the seed out of the grape first!
@@Erowens98 "you're gonna need a new toaster"
Good grass gets me to Mars in minutes.
Feelsgoodman
all you gotta do is get some good grass and roll it every day for 600 years
*badass drop intensifies*
smuk tress
Please stop making fellow cannabis lovers look bad.
Just wondering, how come you never hear of proud heroin users? C'mon guys, represent!
The best option to get into space will be some form of space lift. For interplanetary travel we will build ships in space that will be designed to never land just go from orbiting one planet to the next.
SpaceX is on it.
great job explaining this ! you really helped to grasp and make sense of this complex topic in a mere 5 minutes.
I like the informational product your team is producing. Bravo/a.
40 days!!!
Way better than 7 months.
Especially if you lose an astronaut there.*cough*MARTIAN*cough*
lol I think the reason it took so long was because of the orbits of the planets, not the power of their thrusters. The 40 day time is at ideal orbits.
therealgoody then don't laugh at it.
Still why are we talking about sending people to Mars when Venus is better for a first manned mission. Way easier to land and float on the Venus atmosphere than land on the Mars surface.
Joseph Burchanowski because,you know,80 BAR's of surface pressure:(
+Marijan Vukojevic
If you are floating in a blimp at an altitude where it is 1 Bar, why would you care what the surface pressure is?
What's the expected specific impulse?
It's variable 3,000-12,000 seconds, but if you're using a nuclear reactor to power it then it's better to use that to heat hydrogen gas directly rather than have massive radiators and a lossy thermal-electric conversion. Sure VASIMR beats NTR's in isp, but not in the thrust or power-weight ratio.
If your thrust time is longer than your travel time then you're not getting to your destination, or stopping there without an aerocapture (or lithobraking).
NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD,
I'm a nerd to because I know what that is :(
+The Eh Team
Are you proposing a solid core, liquid core, gas core, or nuclear lightbulb? I personally like the nuclear lightbulb, which I believe would also benefit from VASIMR research. Although perhaps VASIMR is more durable engine which would probably be worth the loss in efficiency and in thrust.
Directly heating the fuel to the point where it would outcompete VASIMR at long distances would probably be quite hard. How would one keep the core temp from becoming to excessive after all, or in other words to keep it from melting.
More likely as such a likely technology development from VASIMR would be to go to partial fusion systems. You don't need a fully viable fusion system either, just partial, as this will reduce the power requirements to run it while still perhaps getting you similar total thrust abilities.
Of the solid core NTR's I think the pebble bed reactor/rocket motor is the most practical. Lots of surface area to heat the fuel with.
Of the gas core rockets I think an open cycle nuclear salt water rocket is the way to go :P
Edit: Plus it works in Kerbal Space Program.
Why can't scientists come up with cool names for their technology? I would have just called it "Plasma-Drive"
Because scientists are dorks. Just be glad they didn't name it something Latin like "Celeri Motu" which literally means "Fast Move".
Celeri Motu sounds cool.
Sounds like a vegan dish.
To me, VASIMR _does_ sound cool. It even gets bonus points for being descriptive
Neil deGrasse Tyson talked a bit about that on StarTalk. How objects like black holes or worm holes are popular because they have simple English names.
Super interesting science. Reid Reimers is the perfect host. Brilliant.
There were theoretical studies on RF heated plasmas done at NASA in the 1970's. I worked in a plasma research lab in the 1990's; we looked at both pulsed and "continuous" plasma jets. At one point, we had a 5 KW RF heated plasma system set up to generate plasma from a Helium gas feed (we used Helium to avoid any explosion hazard from gas leaks). Our group published a number of papers over about 8 years, and there were several other research groups in Canada and the U.S. doing studies on various aspects of plasma jets. So, the idea already had quite a bit of engineering groundwork study. Now, if we really want to move a whole bunch of mass to Mars in a relatively short period, we might want to consider the Orion concept, developed in the late 1950's-early 1960's by Theodore Taylor and a research group that included Freeman Dyson. There are those who say the idea is crazy, but that, like many ideas, is subject to review if our needs change.
Millions of Kelvin in a vacuum..
Huston, I think we have a cooling problem =)
@Kargadan the problem is already solved anyway, this is exactly what one of the issues is with the TOKAMAC type design for ITER and so on....they have new REBCO type superconductors that can easily generate and sustain insanely high field strength , ten Tesla and higher, to keep that toasty plasma well away from the vessel walls, which , depending on application, can either be part of a heat exchanger assembly or in the case of generating plasma for thrust a highly reflective composition with extreme insulating qualities, kind of like the tiles on the space shuttle but even more temperature resistant. In any case, when , and I say WHEN, not if, fusion is cracked that will spell the absolute end of all kinds of space born propulsion methods, simply because we will then have access to a plasma at over 100 million degrees centigrade, no form of VASIMR or any other form of propulsion will have any hope of competing with a fusion powered exhaust plasma, those particles carry the kinetic energy required to allow a craft to easily reach relativistic velocities.
Magnetoplasma?! That is my new favorite word!
Just use space mycelium to just appear in Mars orbit.
enticed2zeitgeist we are all mushrooms :)
So this would give us ships that have that cool, superbright jet exhaust look when they take off... like in all the newer sci-fi? That's definitely the way to go then.
Franklin Chang-Diaz (a former shuttle astronaut from Costa Rica) has been working on this concept for years. His facility is located a stone's throw from the Johnson Space Center.
Thumbnail looks like a KSP creation
Another thing to consider is the fuel mass fraction. Generally the higher the exhaust velocity (and VASIMR has very high exhaust velocity), the less propellant you need to attain high speed.
Some rough calculations I made using Tsiolkovsky's rocket equation shows that to launch a craft to Mars from Earth orbit along the Hohmann trajectory, using chemical rockets, would need 80% to 90% of the total mass as fuel. Fine if you're launching a small probe, but group of 100 colonists with life support and necessary colonizing equipment?
With VASIMR it drops to just about 4%. It'll take its own sweet time running up to the correct velocity, but it'll get there. Ion engines will open up the Solar System.
Yeah science!
Great episode. Loved the coverage of ion and plasma rockets.
Very nice performance-very detailed explanation-congratulations to you for that.
If only there was a Moronic Propulsion Engine, there is plenty of that resource on Earth!
Would that just be like a pile? I think they can manage that for a few people.
Aevi Wright I think a Dense Moron would have enough energy density to fuel a spacecraft by itself,
It would be like designing a fusion reactor, the biggest problem would be how to stop the engine from just exploding.
And the damage we would inflict on the universe would be irreversible.
A Moronic Propulsion Engine could get a crew of 535 and all the paper and talking points they would need to Pluto in only a week--and then leave them there forever.
This sounds like a Good reason for "Matter Antimatter Reactors".
Too bad it costs 65.2 trillion per gram.
An antimatter reactor would be far more dangerous than a hydrogen fusion option. There is no lack of water in the universe.
A nuclear reactor and 1million c° magnetic nozzle? What could possibly go wrong with that?
Todd Heyns 10 million*
Space is far more radioactive than a small nuclear reactor.
David Hughes so is earth for that matter.
Nothing. Look up kilopower reactors by NASA. Development took less than 20 million
@@dg-hughes
???
Considering vehicle sizes, travel duration and clean energy need, I see Vasimr technology much useful for aeroplanes and ships as well. It might be the perfect replacement for gasoline engine.
No it isn't, Ion drives while efficient have dreadful thrust. Basically useless in earth atmosphere.
Thanks for not hiding behind big words!
Yet another case where Thorium reactors would be better than Uranium reactors, as Thorium is lighter than Uranium.
Cooling is a problem. You cannot cool nuclear reactor in space that easy. Surrounded by well... nothing, there's no environment to transfer the heat.
Lazic B. That's why you'd want massive radiators
Lazic B.
Dunno the solution, but we already have nuclear reactors in space, but VASIMR needs a more powerful one.
Lazic B. Dude, space is very cold.
Vasimir, you are great, but what about NASA Warp drive Project?
The channel gonna reach 1 million subs
Yoko Duo 10 thousand. But ok.
Yoko Duo lol true
arisoda ur pfp a fly on the default guy lol
God of War lol really?
arisoda yes
SciShow does the one thing you should NEVER do on a PowerPoint presentation; filling visual pages with what the speaker is saying, word for word.
Sounds like prequel to The Expanse. Cool stuff.
what i didnt quite get is how they handel the 10 millions °C ??? wouldnt the ship melt
They use magnets to control the plasma away from the ship and any contact surface i assume. Just like how a fusion reactor does.
the plasma has electric charge (electrons get removed by the first coupler) so they can use magnets to contain the plasma away from the walls of the thruster. they also have a big radiator to dissipate the heat that does get through (see 2:58)
It also is not very dense, so there is not that much energy to transfer as heat.
Magnets...
so... force shields?
(yes im joking)
Dont we also use nuclear reactors in military submarines? If that works, why not on a spacecraft?
Yaxoi you have water to cool nuclear reactor all around in submarines. You even have no air in space. so there is no transfer media for heat to transfer from reactor to something else... so you can only radiate heat as infrared light. so you probably need bigger panels to radiate heat, than you need to get same amount of power from solar panels. so, meh.
Ok I get that but from a pure I-dont-want-to-die-from-radiation standpoint, the inner workings and radiation shielding should be the same, right?
Yes but then you also have the weight of the reactor to take into account. In a submarines you mostly don't care (heck you're goal is to sink) but on a spacecraft it's really important.
t3st1221 but only fot the start. A spacecraft of this category would likely be considerably larger than current rockets anyway or entirely assembled in space I would assume. Seeing that one would need a chemical engine for the launch anyway
The Russians used to power satellites with small reactors. It was a great idea until one spacecraft came plummeting back to earth, burned up in the atmosphere and spread radioactive debris all over Alaska and Northern Canada.
Lots of people in these comments who apparently should be working for NASA, since they've all got everything figured out.
damnnnn 😆🤘
It depends on where you look. I found this video pretty confusing based on their explanation.
NASA would keep is in local proximity.We Want Warp drive to Alpha Centauri
If only we had more teenagers running NASA. *sigh*
Jealous of you lacking ideas?
This world breaks apart and we are slow in advancement of technology because of those like you.
I have to watch this for science class!
The VASIMR Engine has great potential and as this guy explains it and its potential while pointing out its negative issues there are solutions that he likely doesn't understand or know about with existing technology some even as old as the fifties.
First using the Heavy Lift Falcon rockets to bring the pre-built parts of the VARIMR Space Craft into high orbit first using the ISS International Space Station to build an assembly staging space dock and ship yard framework enough two space craft. This way the ship would not need all that chemical rocket fuel etc. all that weight can be saved.
Second meanwhile smaller versions of the VASIMR Craft could be sent to Mars ahead loaded with various types of robotic drones both on the ground and flying even as autonomous swarms working to gather the materials to build the first habitats and organize pre-placed resources which is the smartest and safest way to prepare for human exploration. Of course this all is done in stages over a period of a few years especially if this engine design pans out. The Space X Dragon control module with an extended cargo pod with a smaller VASIMR engine could be used as a cost effective system to transport these supplies and robotic workforce.
Also a permanent communications and control satellite system needs to be placed in orbit around Mars to enable near instantaneous communication between Earth and Mars which a temporary micro satellite is being used for the recent Mars Lander project I forget the name of it right now.
The narrator states that the VASIMR Engine requires a large power supply to create enough energy to power the plasma reaction, this is true and a nuclear powerplant would likely be the best option, however he shoots it down calling it "dangerous" which first off is not true we have very safe reactors now but we arent using a reactor to power a city but a space craft which there is a reactor system that was created back in the fifties that was all but forgotten and lost to time. An improved modernized version of the THORIUM REACTOR could be developed for use ins space and be as safe and clean as a small dental XRAY machine.
All of these challenges when really thought out and are not insurmountable or impossible, it is how we got to the moon back in 1969!!!! With a slide rule and pencils and paper all we need are people with the right vision and the right stuff to work together and we as curious ever inventive human beings putting aside our differences for a common goal can do ANYTHING!
The more we work on a a challenge and create the more we find better easier cheaper ways to do the things we need to do to make our world our lives better all we need is a dream a challenge a goal and some idiots that say it cant be done and we silly humans will prove them wrong every time! We can stop dreaming or inventing or creating because then we as a race will stagnate and die! We must keep shooting for the stars!!!! We owe to those before and after!!
This is more proof that money is standing in the way of the advancement of the entire human race. When it comes to things that help everyone the materials needed for projects need to be regulated in ways other than how much they cost
You wanna go make a go fundme for this?
I love how the word “Specific” in VASIMR has no other specific function than to make the mnemonic pronounceable...
Thank you. Someone else who noticed.
Ben Heideveld, actually, I believe “specific” refers to the VASIMR engine’s ability to “specifically” control the amount of thrust, as mentioned in the video
Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket is the acronym. Variable specific impulse means that it can vary the "SPECIFIC IMPULSE" of the rocket engine. Specific impulse is a quantity in rocket physics that is well known; it is simply the exhaust velocity of the rocket divided by the earths gravity at the surface (9.8165 meters per second squared). Variable specific impulse therefore means it can vary the rockets exhaust velocity. Why would it want to do this? To increase thrust. You can half the exhaust velocity and increase the mass flow by four times and you get double the thrust. This decreases engine efficiency, but thrust is the limiting factor for electric ion/plasma thrusters for manned missions; not fuel efficiency (exhaust velocity).
So no; you're wrong. Thanks.
@@robj7481 Rick Jasper; it refers to it's ability to vary the specific impulse of the rocket engine. This really means the ability to vary it's exhaust velocity. It can lower it's exhaust velocity while dramatically increasing mass flow to increase thrust. This means it can trade off efficiency for thrust, which is very very important for manned missions limited by time.
2 things to figure out: it requires high temp superconductors
Why? Space isn't exactly warm, so keeping superconductors cool using liquid helium would be easier. And room temperature superconductors are still decades away.
@@samhenley7156 if you aren't blocked from direct sunlight it's bloody hot--no mitigation from an atmosphere. Why do you think they have to go to so much effort for the sunshade on James Webb?
As Professor Erik Verlinde pointed out, there is subtle similarity between gravitation field and temperature gradient of attraction in the context of entropy. Therefore, the opposite can be true. Antigravitation field if exists can be mysteriously similar to temperature gradient of repulsion when ridiculously hot gas is spontaneously released into extreme cold temperature gradient. There is work when temperature change is as large as possible. As million degrees centigrade plasma such as those inside a fusion reactor suddenly hitting a cold temperature gradient will provide undeniably large work propelling mass forward. If and only if a million centigrade plasma hits near absolute zero temperature gradient such as space or cavity of near absolute zero inert gas, the work will be impressive.
Once we get fusion figured out & quantum computers, then we can work on all kinds of exotic propulsion systems, maybe even Alcubierre drives.
Why does this guy sound like a pirate?
The future is nuclear!
Especially if one of those things explodes on its way up. Then the future is very nuclear for all of us!
It honestly wouldn't be that bad. It wouldn't be good it would but it likely wouldn't be particularly dangerous. I imagine they'd use conventional rockets to get the reactor into space and at that time it would likely have never run meaning the fuel is only mildly radioactive. It won't yet have any of the dangerous fission products or transuranic elements.
"The future is nuclear!" Iran and North Korea agree!
Uranium isn't dangerous before it's actually gone critical. You can hold weapons grade uranium with the only fear of heavy metal poisoning, or a stubbed toe.
+Penny Lane Just shoot it up in small parts of low radioactive material and assemble it in orbit, that way a failure of a rocket wouldn't be fatal.
2023 here. Nuclear propulsion finally getting the OK!
The electrostatic force is amazing I don't think most people know how much power it possesses. Like charges repel and just a tiny amount of charge they can repel each other with a million tons of force.
Ad Astra is the one behind all of these?! OMG I feel so proud that the company of our only Costa Rican astronaut is the one that is going to take us to Mars! ♥
Am I the only one hoping the amount of power they need comes to 1.21 gigawatts?
Nixon?
Lol
Chris Jones, then it will not take 40 days, they will get there before they leave, lol.
Cheers from John, Australia.
Um...yep. :0)
GREAT SCOTT!
"Human-sized spacecraft" I think you meant "Spacecraft large enough to carry human astronauts" ;)
Who's excited for SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch?
Takeaki Uemura me! I also want to see where SpaceX is going with their BFR!
It looked like a sperm cell
They won't let me go, so I don't care.
Takeaki Uemura do you know when exactly it will Lift off?
I am really excited!🚀
What's that?
We should do two separate launches. One for the travel pod and another for a fuel refuel. Then construct it in space and then you have a full tank with no resistance. Half a tank to speed up the other half for slowing down.
Actually, this concept goes back even further than the 1970s. I gave a presentation on what was then called the magnetohydrodynamic, or MHD rocket in 1958, in my high school freshman science class. Technology back then wasn't up to making it become real, but the concept is the same.
Oh my God, there are so many goddamn projects by NASA, ESA, SpaceX and others that I'm not sure if I will live long enough to see the first man on Mars. Back in the 60s they though that in the 2000s we would have Moon Bases; yet it's 2017 and we barely have a Space Station. Now they think that by 2050 they'll get to Mars but at this rate I bet that they won't even be able to send the drone we saw a few videos ago.
Actually NASA scrapped any plans for sending people to Mars and is focusing on a lunar colony now
How in our economical context can you rationalize space exploration? Really hard to think about fondamental research with this situation. That's why the money basically disappeared after Apollo.
Tomorrow do not exist in this world right now.
Space exploration entails tremendous advancement in technology that can be applied to our daily lives. its said that for every 100 US patients, 1 of it is from NASA. They developed everything from the tiny cameras that we now see on our phones and laptops, to those annoying dents on roads (which saves thousands of lives every year in the US). It also releases most of its code and some of its proprietary tech for free which many companies, either they be a Fortune 500, or small start up companies, us in order to make the tech market more competitive. So space exploration may not directly have its advantages to every people, but the things that come from it are incredible.
my god what a myth. What about the single stage thrust vectoring engine of the killed X-33. Gee why would anyone want to stop the single stage engine ??
Oh I forgot, The makers of the rocket engines !!! Take a look at the X-33 project on RUclips. I was part of that program.
Probably have to use a Thorium Reactor rather than a Uranium one.
yup
Probably not because it would require a smaller amount of enriched uranium. Running a thorium breeder cycle would require more mass for the same energy.
DUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!!!!!!!!!!!! this sounds like some AWESOME SCI-FI SH!T THAT IS AMAZING!!!!!
I don't know what language it is, or what it means, but Ciekły wodór is my new favorite science term.
"might"
And might is right!
USE THORIUM REACTORS
That is all.
Far too bulky and we don't even have working examples yet, sadly.
Not possible! How would you cool it down? There's no environment to transfer the heat making a vacuum a fantastic isolator.
Giant radiators basically. Think the opposite of the huge solar panels on the ISS. Instead of tracking the sun to catch as much of it as you can, they would track the sun to minimize their exposure as much as possible. Make them out of a conductive material with an IR reflective core layer and run the reactor's coolant through them. But thats not enough to cool the reactor, since the temperature in the radiators would have to rise a lot to reach any sort of equilibrium via black body radiation, meaning the coolant running through the reactor would be hundreds of degrees Celsius. You also need to have two separate loops of coolant. One for the radiators and one for the reactor(s). You then have each loop running through a chamber with a division down the middle. You'd use a series of peltier devices fed by high current from the reactor to siphon heat out of the reactor coolant loop and dump it into the radiator coolant loop. You'd monitor the temperature of the reactor coolant to regulate the heat transfer and keep it at a fairly constant temperature. With this system, as long as the radiators have been properly designed to handle the maximum output of the reactor, their temperature is irrelevant. If its too low to reach equilibrium, then it'll continue to rise. Once past equilibrium temperature, it'll dump heat faster than it needs to. And thats basically it.
Interesting. But what's the point in having a super dangerous reactor with huge radiator array instead of a huge solar panel (or sail)?
Nah, fusion :D
They will probably use thorium once they get the process more refined. connected to a hoffman aparatus to use the reactor electricity to break the bonds of water and provide the engine the hydrogen to produce the plasma!
For anyone that interests, the motor was turned on a couple days ago and it ran amazingly, NASA and Ad Astra hope for it to be in space around 2024
Let’s see, if I leave now it’ll take a year to get to Mars, or if I wait until 2024 I can get there in 40 days? I think I I’ll wait.
That some next level stuff there.
I've never been this early
Nick Leonard That's not what your mom says... Forgive me. It's the only joke I could think off
That's not what your gf said
fast forward 3 years, any progress?
or just taking a grant money for popcorns and movies……
Fallen Colossi lol
The thorium salt reactor will be the solution, can't get a meltdown, it's small, and "light weight"
I remember reading about this one.
Man, fusion and plasma thrusters seem like they're right around the corner, the future looks so bright, I gotta wear shades :)
So we'll be able to get to Mars in as much time as it took Jesus to be resurrected? This engine must be a *Godsend*
Eh, probably not. Ad Astra has been around since the early 2000's, and their VASIMR engine idea longer than that. They have working models, but to my knowledge, none of them have flown in space yet. There was a program to get a VASIMR 200MW engine on the ISS to periodicly boost it's orbit, but that plan has since been scrapped. I'm surprised Ad Astra is still around, since I haven't seen it much in the media, and their web page is static.
Aaayyyyyyyy
Just use a fishing rod and a carrot, you will be there in no time, duh...
Sad to see a "science" show talk trash about our confidence in nuclear energy. From a science and engineering standpoint, there are no quarrels. Advanced GEN 4 reactors offer improved safety, economics, and possibility for use in space.
Could the journey to Mars be shortened by using sail-assisted spacecraft where solar radiation is used to assist the main power source? Of course, that would only be of use on the outward journey, but that would be better than nothing. Several months in zero gravity is very debilitating, so it is important we make the journey as brief as possible.
3:50 Maybe use huge solar sail to take all the energy that it needs from the soon, and in bonus get a little more momentum.
Lol you could build a real life enterprise and put these engines on
Except they don't generate the same amount of thrust as a chemical rocket. And the enterprise uses impulse engines that are far faster.
@@cadkls ok lol
Okay, stow the crap about nuclear power and safety. WHEN was the last time there was a problem with a reactor on a US or UK nuclear submarine or aircraft carrier?
Its always talk. I will be interested if someone actually makes it.
It's already been built and tested, and in cooperation with NASA it will soon fly. The VX-200SS™ VASIMR® prototype fired at a power level of 100 kW in the spring of 2017. www.adastrarocket.com/aarc/
Franklin Chang diaz and his team work on it
Ion engines would take forever to get up to speed. That’s why we don’t use them. They don’t displace enough mass to move things. The problem with massive speeds is not only the acceleration up to cruising speed, but also getting back down to landing speeds. They’d need to generate enough power to boost the ship up to over 50,000 mph but also slow back down from that speed gradually so the crew doesn’t become a puddle of juice. Then to get home, they’d have to do it again. That’s 4 engine burns to +50k or -50k mph. With the weight of crew and supplies you’re talking energy on the scale of cities not ships.
From what I can see they've basically turned neon light bulb into a space ship drive. At 2:58 you can see from the diagram it even has a glass inner body to contain the gas and funnel it to the nozzle at the other end. It's already well known technology and using radio waves? not micro? to heat up the gas sounds like a good idea for reliability and we can pick any color we want for the drive! So blue or red for the "flame"? Or maybe Green?