Nuclear fusion could power NASA spacecraft

New Scientist ^ | 10:29 23 January 03 | Duncan Graham-Rowe

[vannrox]

Very Cool.

[freebilly]

Of course, harnessing fusion is no easy task

No fooling....

[KevinDavis]

Looks like we are one ther verge of new golden era of Space Exploration.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Controlled nuclear fusion was only a few years away in 1960. It still is.

[Centurion2000]

Hmmm ... if they use a fission reactor for electrical power for the microwaves and onboard ship systems they wont have to worry too much about the energy return from the rocket itself.

Slightly controlled nuclear fusion might be the way to go with this.

[mhking]

We could use Baghdad as the launch pad for the Orion, if we dust off the plans...

[PatrickHenry]

Fusion drive ping.

[unixfox]

We could use Baghdad as a testing ground. Let's see, how long will that missile take to get there? Oops, already there !!

[adx]

If fusion researchers can ever achieve stable, break-even fusion, Emrich believes a full-scale fusion drive - perhaps 100 metres long - could be ready and waiting within two decades.

I'd say multiply both figures in this sentence(length and time) by 10 and you'll get the real deal.

[NukeMan]

I'd say multiply both figures in this sentence(length and time) by 10 and you'll get the real deal.

....and the costs by, oh, 1000 or better.

[new cruelty]

'We look for things that make us go' BUMP

[techcor]

Sure fusion. Meanwhile americium 242m actually exists and is 100 times as powerful as plutonium. Plus, reactors could be built to produce it in large quantities with today's technology. Check out a search engine with "Two weeks to Mars" or americium 242m.

[jlogajan]

Nuclear fusion could power NASA spacecraft

Yeah, but not in our lifetimes.

[Karsus]

No, we are not. If ANYONE but NASA was in charge of this I would be inclined to agree with you. But NASA (during the last 20 years) has the worlds worst record of making stuff work according to the spec and cost per launch numbers.


Please, please! give this project to someone other than NASA.

[mvpel]

It's been two decades out for the last 40 years.

[KellyAdmirer]

Fusion power has never been achieved on earth. NASA is spending real time, money and energy dreaming up fantasies of doing it in space? No wonder we haven't been back to the Moon in 30 years.

[pabianice]

[freebilly]

Controlled nuclear fusion was only a few years away in 1960. It still is.

Dateline 2465 AD-- NASA scientists have devised a space vehicle whose velocity approaches the speed of light by utilizing nuclear fusion. Of course, harnessing fusion is no easy task. Scientists have struggled to contain the super-hot plasmas of charged ions needed for fusion reactions.

[freebilly]

The problem as I see it, is that we just don't have enough dilithium crystals.....

[Mr. Bird]

He wants to use microwaves to heat the plasma to 600 million kelvin

That would most certainly burn the roof of my mouth.