Mag-beam propulsion., page 1

Originally posted by jra
Well I hope this hasn't been posted already, if so, please delete this.

There is a concept for a new type of propulsion is being developed. If it all works out, it could cut down the travel time to Mars to just 90 days. From the article:

Under the mag-beam concept, a space-based station would generate a stream of magnetized ions that would interact with a magnetic sail on a spacecraft and propel it through the solar system at high speeds that increase with the size of the plasma beam. Winglee estimates that a control nozzle 32 meters wide would generate a plasma beam capable of propelling a spacecraft at 11.7 kilometers per second. That translates to more than 26,000 miles an hour or more than 625,000 miles a day.

You can read more about it here

Um.. actually that should read "electrostatic ions" that interact with a
magnetic sail.. ions in the plasma beam..

As for the trip times hardly seems worth developing for such slow
transit times.

A variety of "beamed energy" and "momentum
transfer" concepts have been discussed for
interplanetary and even interstellar flight. Microwaves
beaming to spacecraft, for direct momentum transfer
(photon), conversion to electric power for ion
engines or plasma thrusters, or directly heating
plasma reaction mass in the vehicle engines, laser
beams for heating of reaction mass or again direct
momentum transfer using a "solar sail" to reflect the
photons, magnetic bubble fields for "sailing" with
charged particles (like what is discussed in your
post), are examples. The last is also interesting in that
the magnetic bubble concept can be used with pulsed
nuclear engine technology, where the expanding
plasma cloud resulting from nuclear explosions
behind the vehicle can impart momentum to the
vehicle when the plasma interacts with the ship board
generated magnetic fields. That last concept enables
vehicle velocities of 2 PSOL (2 percent the speed of
light) with reasonable mass ratios of the vehicle and
able to carry substantial payloads (human crew and
life support) on interstellar missions in the foreseeable
future. Incidentally just 1 percent the speed of light
allows transit times to Mars at its' average distance
from earth in about 6 hours. Practical trips would
take longer because even at 5 gravity acceleration to
reach 1 percent the speed of light would take about
18 hours. The ship would need to begin slowing
down before it reached 1 percent. A trip to Saturn on
the other hand would allow full velocity to be
reached, and the ship could reach Saturn in about 2
weeks. I use the 5 gravity acceleration in my
examples because that is readily feasible with
immersion in a floatation tank to protect one from the
acceleration. Why spend months or even weeks in
space when the object is to reach your destination?
Pulsed nuclear engine technology could have been
developed with ORION in the 60s..
(that used an early pulsed nuclear engine design)
hoping technology to solve transportation problems
in space is not the answer to space travel. People
have to change from the primitive cave men they
remain, even in this 21st Century, so they can
embrace new technology rather than fear it. If you
recall, ORION was never developed because the
primitives of Earth (continue to) fear everything
nuclear, and restricted the use of that kind of atomic
technology.

[edit on 17-10-2004 by mockan]