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NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30 day

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 8:29 am
by vernes
NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30 day(theregister)
NASA, and plenty of private individuals, want to put mankind on Mars. Now a team at the University of Washington being funded by the space agency is about to start building a fusion engine that could get humans there in just 30 days and make other forms of space travel obsolete.

Re: NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:41 pm
by Skipjack

Re: NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 12:53 pm
by vernes
Did some searches first, didn't find it.

Re: NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30

Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:22 am
by williatw
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2 ... eople-mars

Anybody heard anything about this lately? According to the link the testing was supposed to be this summer.

Re: NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30

Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 8:09 am
by AcesHigh
there is an interview from the Starship Congress about other NASA scientists working on a Fusion Pulse Propulsion, that could get us to Pluto in less than 6 months (without decelerating however... 12 months with deceleration)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tI9uQ4YJSQ

Re: NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30

Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:24 pm
by Skipjack
I read about that one, but I like MSNWs approach better. It has more thrust and is therefore accelerating faster.

Re: NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30

Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:24 pm
by AcesHigh
which one has more thrust? And do you have the thrust figures?

The travel times can mean anything. If he talks about 3 months to Mars, but the mission plan includes a BIG ship for dozens of people and equipment to create a base there, it can actually have more thrust per kg (the engine) than the other which can arrive in Mars in 30 days, but maybe the mission plan considers a tiny ship for like 3-5 people, crammed together in the small space, landing on Mars, and then returning.

Re: NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30

Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 3:11 am
by kcdodd
Yeah travel time says more about the exhaust velocity of the rocket, or specific impulse, than about the thrust. Unless of course the thrust is so low that acceleration becomes the majority of the travel time.

Re: NASA-backed fusion engine could cut Mars trip down to 30

Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 10:09 pm
by Skipjack
The MSNW LLC fusion driven rocket uses a lithium liner which becomes exhaust mass too. More exhaust mass means more thrust and faster acceleration. Isp is important, but not everything. If you are stuck slowly spiraling yourself out of earths gravity well for weeks, then all that Isp is useless.