The latest presentation to the Future In-Space Operations (FISO) study group is now posted in the FISO Working Group Presentations Archive. Both slides (pdf) and audio (mp3) are available for the talk, 90 Day Single Launch to Mars: A Case Study for The Fusion Driven Rocket, Anthony Pancotti, MSNW LLC. – September 25, 2013 This … Continue reading FISO: MSNW LLC and “the first realistic approach to fusion-based propulsion”→
In the 1970s when gigantic in-space colonies similar to the one depicted in the recent movie Elysium were proposed, the obvious question was how could such behemoths possibly be affordable when it had cost billions just to send a handful of people to the Moon. That question still remains up front today for anyone proposing … Continue reading Building really big structures in space→
NextBigFuture points to a neat concept for slowing a spacecraft when it enters an atmosphere. A study of the Magnetoshell concept was funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC). As shown in the slide below, the spacecraft would release a tethered device that creates a magnetized plasma, which in turn interacts with the atoms … Continue reading Magnetoshell provides a lightweight brake for spacecraft→
Here’s an update on the nuclear fusion propulsion system that John Slough and his team at the University of Washington’s Plasma Dynamics Lab is developing: Scientists Testing Nuclear Fusion-Powered Rocket Engine – The Daily Fusion. See also the descriptions of the project funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program: The Fusion Driven Rocket: … Continue reading Update on Univ. Washington fusion propulsion project→
NASA has opened an education project in which students “research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation”: NASA Launches Exploration Design Challenge – NASA NASA’s Exploration Design Challenge The program is framed around the Orion crew spacecraft that Lockheed-Martin is building for NASA. ==== As a long time opponent of the $10B+ Orion … Continue reading NASA challenges students to design radiation protection systems→