Ad Astra's VASIMR plasma rocket is about ready for testing, only problem is it requires the vacuum of space to do it in. NASA is now considering taking the rocket up to the
International Space Station, clipping it on and firing her up -- perhaps even using it to reposition the station. Formerly of NASA, Franklin Chang Diaz left to form Ad Astra and perfect his plasma rocket, which he hopes will be able to take space vehicles from low-earth orbit to the moon. The rocket draws its own power from solar cells, and then uses radio waves to heat argon into plasma, and directs that plasma using magnets. Pretty fancy stuff, and since the rocket is reusable and can propel payloads double the size of equivalent chemical engines, there could be cost savings in the long run. Right now it seems the main hang ups for NASA are where to attach the rocket to the ISS where it won't be interfered with, and how to get it into space after the space shuttle is retired in 2010
[Via
Newlaunches.com]
posted Aug 8th 2008 3:07PM
Im all about trying this thing out...but NASA can we not strap this thing to the ISS and use it to reposition the space station...am I the only one who thinks "first time using rocket...should not attach to expensive thingy"??
yeah no kidding. Something goes wrong and the ISS could be "repositioned" onto someone's front lawn...
This is NOT a good idea. Makes me think of a comic I read this morning:
http://www.boredandevil.com/?date=2008-07-23
It's so cool, you think you might want to take a ride on it? It should be ready for use in the next five years. Use it to send some sightseers to Mars at the cost of a few billion dollars so they can find a few gallons of Martian Spring water. Enjoy the ride.
well it would be a dumb thought to think that NASA hasn't already thought that one out...
To Bodly FAIL where no man has FAILED before.
badass
A colleague of mine, Elon, may be able to assist. He has a startup or something at, hmm, I think it's SpaceX.com, but not sure. NASA? Give them a whirl, but probably worth waiting for launch 7 or so to allow them to iron out the rough spots, else there may be some plasma spillage. ;-)
eh they can build another one
I got a suggestions to the Na? engineers. Stram this baby on a 3g iphone on 3g speeds. Then the pulsar engine harness the power of the 3g iphone with 3g speeds. Then with the power of a psx,xbox and nintendo ds combine maybe that pulsar engine will travel back in time.
What?
That was kinda amusing but not really funny.
Why only the vacuum of space? Why not in a giant vacuum chamber?
because it contains the power of 1000 suns, and if anything went wrong on earth... it would be too terrifying to describe.
A rocket? In a vacuum chamber? Plasma would melt faster than you can blink.
It has been tested in a vacuum chamber, but after a few milliseconds it is no longer a vacuum, as it is filled with plasma (exhaust). It would take a much longer time to fill up space.
@Abe
How long can it possibly take to fill up space?
Got me, chief. NASA has vacuum chambers that can easily handle electric propulsion devices up to 100 kW. In fact, they have better, cleaner vacuum than you'd find outside the ISS. Keep in mind that NASA has been launching electric propulsion thrusters since 1964 and has developed test facilities just for EP research.
You'd think strapping a thruster to the ISS would piss off those trying to run microgravity experiments (kinda the whole point of the ISS).
No, this doesn't "contain the power of 1000 suns." It contains the power of its power supply (probably the equivalent of a couple hair driers). Sure, the beam may be energetic (ion engine beams can vaporize steel) but NASA has methods to deal with that. No, you don't blow your vacuum in milliseconds; NASA vacuum chambers have the highest pumping speed in the world - they could run this thing for years in their test chambers.
They could test it in a chamber, but you really wouldn't be able to tell how well its doing as far as pushing something as large as the space station, numbers can only tell you so much before you have to actually test it out. Though this basically sounds like the ion engine/thruster that they have on the deep space 1 probe, though possibly larger/more powerful.
This is awesome. Franklin Chang Diaz is from Costa Rica, where I am from. Its amazing what he as acomplished!
What you want a lolli just cause your from Costa Rica. Do us a favor and go back
You're jealous 'cause there's no human way you can come up with a kickass idea like this... and umm.. you keep saying we're third world
Eat it up and suck it up !
Go back? How do you know he's not IN Costa Rica, like I am right now?
Don't you mean NASA might TAKE the plasma rocket, and then BRING it back again?
So, it's a giant solar-powered microwave full of argon?
thats what she said...much to my confusion.
Thats an honor for us people in Costa Rica that this motor is develop in this little country with edge tecnology!!
Congratulations to Ad Astra people, viva Costa Rica
Go to the Moon? Read more. This thing will get you to Mars in three weeks (rather than the six months it would take with a chemical rocket).
been there done that....yawn
Funny I would have thought it would be smarter to launch it with a Soyuz capsule and try propelling that around the vacuum of space rather than risking the station. But what the hell do I know?
Maybe NASA can't afford to pay the ruskies anymore, they only have dollars.
It's about time NASA is bringing up another test engine up to space. It's sad that their Solar Sail experiment blew up in the Space-X launch. We need to continue to encourage additional propulsion method experimentation. With the problems getting a solar sail in space you'd think it was a conspiracy (since space.com's solar sail rocket blew up a few years back as well...)
Where's Mulder and Scully to investigate?
Thanks,
Scott
http://www.topclassactions.com
Plasma rocket.
Oh, it feels good saying that.
This thing has been looooong in coming. It's way due. They need primary funding badly, IMO. Scrap the rest of the advanced propulsion and robot missions to wherever for a few years and get this thing flying. THIS is the future of space exploration, and it could have been the present of space expoloration had it been properly funded for the last 20 years. NASA needs to get their act together and prioritize funding human space projects like there's no tomorrow.
How did gene roddenberry get so dead on in 1967. I wonder if we'll meet the vulcans as soon as we light this rocket up?
Well if you think about it, this could be a dramatic step forward for the space program:
There is a rising number of private companies developing jet-like aircraft capable of reaching the upper stratosphere of earth / and into true space itself. I'm sure NASA could easily adapt one of these aircraft to take the place of the current shuttle.
Once in space the ISS, or a station larger and newer for the future, would take the role of housing / launching a different variety of space craft for deep space exploration (to Mars and further into space).
The ISS has an I in it, not an A.
Ad Astra Rocket Company. Made in COSTA RICA baby!!!
And here I'd thought that the idea of strapping rockets onto things to launch them had been pretty much disproven by Wile E. Coyote. Maybe now he can bag the Road Runner.