Originally posted by knows_but_doesnt
I guess I'd be good if I knew why you would need multiple units. Unless they are each generating energy and can be focused,

Originally posted by welivefortheson
you can see that the guys head is coloured the same as the dirty-golden squares of the "magnet".

Originally posted by spikedmilkI may need someone to me back up on that one.

Originally posted by spikedmilk[/i

It looks kinda like a giant model of Darth Vader's helmet, doesn't it?

Originally posted by NJ Mooch
I want to give you all something to check out, Zorgon please take a pic of yourself when you read what some of these links deal with and who they deal with. I want to see the look on your face...

Research And No Development

What bothers me to no end is this:
Billions in taxpayer dollars is spent on R & D projects every year granted to universities, corporate industries, the military, and many more entities with no results.

This is just one example: Cheaper and more efficient energy.
With the discovery of nuclear power, there have been numerous evolutionary variations with the discovery of new technologies in nuclear power.
As of 2007, there are 31 states that have nuclear power plants (NPP).

July 12, 1957
The first power from a civilian nuclear unit was generated by the Sodium Reactor Experiment at Santa Susana, California. The unit provided power until 1966.

Since then, grants were applied for and received to improve the technology. Fission reactors are inherently dangerous, so after numerous attempts to develop NPP’s less risky, it was apparent this couldn’t be done. Over the years, billions were spent to find this out. Then in 1979, with the Three Mile Island incident, the public finally knew.

Although fission plants are the only type in operation today, R & D was started in the early 70’s on fusion reactors. More grants were and are, awarded to get this developed.

Well, as it turns out, after more than 35 years, nothing! It seems that once a type of fusion reactor is studied, built, experimented with and tested, it gets mothballed. Or it didn’t work. Or the most common excuse is, newer developments in technology have made this system obsolete. Or at least this is what we’re told.

One of the first fusion-type reactors was the Rotating Target Neutron Source and in full operation 1978. But it wasn’t for power plants. It was developed for nuclear physics experiments.

And then we paid for Levitron, Baseball I and II, TMX (Tandem Mirror Experiment), 2XIIB, and MFTF (Mirror Fusion Test Facility), culminating in the MFTF-B, initiated in 1981. And these are from just one lab, Lawrence Livermore. All of which have been scrapped or mothballed. Now we’re into trillions of dollars.

So what do they do? Revert back to more studies and R & D on older technologies in the spheromak systems!

We’ve come full circle and starting over with nothing better for the public than what we have already.
Only one entity is benefiting from all this, the military. These technologies are or have been, applied to propulsion for space craft.

Grants, awards, black budgets, taxes, wars, oil prices and the like are bleeding us dry and what do we get?
Too pay for it. Don’t get me started on solar development.

Jack Arneson

And lots of thanks and kudos to spikedmilk for 'dredging up' this old piece of junque

hey, nooooo problem Zorgon. It just so happens that a) this is one of those things that I been wondering about for some time and b) you'll find I like to ask questions that others dont. Even silly ones.
Thank YOU for being here for us!

spikeD

[edit on 16-11-2007 by spikedmilk]

Creator/Author Kulcinski, F.L. ; Santarius, J.F.
Publication Date 1987 Sep 01
OSTI Identifier OSTI ID: 5226365
Report Number(s) AD-A-189234/8/XAB
Resource Type Technical Report
Research Org Wisconsin Univ., Madison (USA)

Subject 220800 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Propulsion Reactors ;700200 -- Fusion Energy-- Fusion Power Plant Technology; SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS-- FEASIBILITY STUDIES;SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES;TMR REACTORS-- SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES; CHARGED PARTICLES;DEUTERIUM;EFFICIENCY;HELIUM;HELIUM 3;LAUNCHING;MAGNETIC MIRRORS;PROGRESS REPORT;PROTONS;RADIOACTIVITY
Related Subject BARYONS;DOCUMENT TYPES;ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT;ELEMENTARY PARTICLES;ELEMENTS;EQUIPMENT;EVEN-ODD NUCLEI;FERMIONS;FLUIDS;GASES;HADRONS;HELIUM ISOTOPES;HYDROGEN ISOTOPES;ISOTOPES;LIGHT NUCLEI;MAGNETIC MIRROR TYPE REACTORS;MOBILE REACTORS;NONMETALS;NUCLEI;NUCLEONS;ODD-ODD NUCLEI;OPEN PLASMA DEVICES;POWER REACTORS;POWER SUPPLIES;PROPULSION REACTORS;RARE GASES;REACTORS;SPACE POWER REACTORS;STABLE ISOTOPES;THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES;THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS

Description/Abstract The preconceptual design of a Space Orbiting Advanced Fusion Power Reactor (SOAR), which delivers up to 1000 MWe for at least 600 s from an orbited mass of about 500 tonnes, was accomplished.^The power is produced by a magnetically confined D-3He plasma.^Approximately 96% of the fusion energy is in charged particles, and a direct converter has been designed which converts much of this energy into electricity at high net efficiency (about 80%).^An advanced shield design allows SOAR to deliver approximately 2 kilowatts of electricity for every kilogram of material orbited.^The shield is designed to absorb all rejected heat during operation, and no active radiator is required.^The SOAR reactor concept is designed to allow rapid startup and shutdown procedures.^The lack of radioactivity on launch and the low radioactive inventory after operation make the SOAR concept attractive from maintenance, safety and environmental perspectives.^The plasma physics approach extrapolates from the present plasma physics and fusion technology knowledge base using concepts which can be tested on existing or near-term devices.^The symbiosis of burst mode requirements, D-3He tandem mirror fusion reactor characteristics, and the space environment leads to a very high performance design concept.
Country of Publication United States
Language English
Format Pages: 57
Availability NTIS, PC A04/MF A01.