Posted on 07/23/2015 12:10:47 PM PDT by Red Badger
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A team of researchers at Colorado based Escape Dynamics is reporting that initial tests indicate that it might really be possible to launch space-planes into space using microwaves sent from the ground, to allow for a single stage spacecraft. If the idea pans out, the cost savings for sending satellites (or perhaps humans) into orbit could be considerable.
Today's rockets are all based on the same idea, a multi-stage rocket is used, each part filled with propellant that pushes the rocket into space as the propellant is burned. It is a really expensive way to go because the propellant is extremely heavy. ED's idea is to use microwaves beamed from the ground to heat hydrogen carried by the space-plane to push the craft into space, a much more efficient approach. They are reporting that testing done at their facility shows that the idea might be possible.
The testing involved building a thruster that operates on the ground and then testing to see how much thrust is generated—the team is reporting that they achieved a specific impulse of 500 seconds when using helium, and believe that when they switch to hydrogen that number will jump to 600 seconds—enough, they claim, to push a small craft into space.
With a real space plane, the microwaves would strike the heat shield on the bottom of the craft (both at liftoff and as it made its way into space) powering an electromagnetic motor which in turn would heat hydrogen as it was released from a tank—the result would be pushed through a nozzle, resulting in thrust. Once in orbit the plane would stay aloft long enough to deploy a satellite, then glide back down to Earth. The trick here is that the entire system does not have to be efficient, just the craft itself. The microwave array would be powered by electricity, generated by any number of means, down here on Earth.
There are of course still a number of hurdles to pass before the idea can be deemed viable—the microwave array would have to prove strong enough and able to maintain tracking of the craft as it climbed into space, likely the main ones. There might also be safety issues surrounding the firing of such a massive amount of microwaves into space. On the other hand, if the idea proves viable, it could mean sending satellites into orbit for a fraction of the cost of today's systems.
Those f@cking science ovens!
Nikola Tesla is smiling. Perhaps this is one application of R4th and payload weight that might be feasible.
Then they would have to overcome the obstacle of preventing birds from flying through the microwaves during take off. or just establish a no bird zone.
Once the astronauts reach their orbit they can then eat heir burritos that were cooked during the launch.
lol!
Yes. Sometimes there is just the bare fact of an application searching for a purpose. To me, this is the best I’ve seen given payload weights, technology, etc.
Besides the complications you rightly cite, there is also the problem dealing with the massive dispersion loss and the tremendous inefficiency that could be realized.
In the end, could this just be an innovative attempt to fool gullible politicians about some bad idea’s efficacy?
It’s been done before, for sure.
It’s a tight focusing problem. How few MOA (moments of arc) is a spacecraft at altitude?
Would the beam have to be coherent?
And we thought birds flying into windmills was a hazard.
How is that anti-gravity machine coming? Haven’t heard much lately. :-) Oh, and that cold fusion thingie too.
I have been following this company for a while now. It looks possible to me. They claim that if it works, they can get to orbit cheaper than Spacex’s reusable rockets.
Mr. Sulu, take us out of orbit, 1/4 defrost.
Minimal compared to the daily toll from windmills.
Thanks Red Badger, extra to APoD.
I think it would quickly become one.
That’s a very good question. I like to brainstorm about launch methods like this, and the general principle of “Leave the power source on the ground” is a great one... if we can make it work!
Just put a windmill on that thing and make it self-powered!
Dumb idea. Radiation drops off as to the square of the distance.
Organisms in the path of the invisible radiation will receive radiation.
If ground-based it will have to be turned off for around 14 hours daily.
Tracking it with the signal round-trip delay time, times two, will be critical and difficult. Providing a means to turn it off if some other object gets in the path of the radiation sounds good, but isn’t-it can not be shut off quickly due to the delay time. More? no, that’s enough.
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