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NASA could buy plasma engine for station reboost services
Flight Global ^ | 03/09/2010 | Rob Coppinger

Posted on 03/15/2010 11:48:39 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld

President Kennedy laid down a straightforward if daunting challenge: the Moon. President George W Bush, perhaps looking for a Kennedy moment, set that challenge again. From President Barack Obama, a more nuanced directive is no surprise.

But while Obama would forego a headline destination in favour of having NASA develop exotic technologies to enable human exploration of deep space while the private sector takes on the low- Earth orbit transport challenge, one former NASA astronaut thinks he can achieve both goals - and before any crew is carried aloft in a private rocket.

THERE AND BACK

Franklin Chang Diaz believes that his Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) technology could be the answer to propulsion problems stretching from the International Space Station to the Moon.

(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: adastra; adatra; iss; nasa; space; spacetech; vasimr

1 posted on 03/15/2010 11:48:40 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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2 posted on 03/15/2010 11:51:01 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: KevinDavis

Ad Astra space ping.


3 posted on 03/15/2010 11:51:05 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: sonofstrangelove

That’s it. Why billions have to be poured into the private industry to replicate chemical rockets and space capsules that will ever be built by Chinese and Indians cheaper? That makes no sense... at least from a technical point of view.

Private companies should be paid for brand new developments, my humble opinion.


4 posted on 03/16/2010 12:05:24 AM PDT by J Aguilar (Fiat Justitia et ruat coelum)
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To: sonofstrangelove
"From President Barack Obama, a more nuanced directive is no surprise."

His directive is to gut NASA in order to use the money for his illegal health care program.

5 posted on 03/16/2010 12:07:29 AM PDT by americanophile
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To: americanophile

NASA gutted itself for years of no vision or direction.


6 posted on 03/16/2010 12:08:30 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: americanophile

BINGO!

LLS


7 posted on 03/16/2010 2:23:06 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Wolverine)
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