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Mag-beam propulsion.

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jra

posted on Oct, 15 2004 @ 07:51 PM
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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



posted on Oct, 16 2004 @ 04:49 AM
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That sounds cool, but what about the accelerations? I mean, we could just start from earth at 0 speed, accelerate (quite fast!), but then? How do we stop?

[Edit:]
Just realized that the answer is in the text: place another device at the other end of the trip...

More problems: we would need to place such things virtually everywhere in the solar system to be able to travel "where we want to"...

[edit on 16-10-2004 by SpookyVince]



posted on Oct, 16 2004 @ 07:54 AM
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Very good idea, and it could be brilliantly reliable with the use of some pretty beefy nuclear reactors in mars and earth orbit. The only problem i see is that the mag beam generator would also be pushed away from the space craft and when in orbit there would be periods of zero acceleration when the generator is behind the planet, although with some innovation all these problems can be solved.



posted on Oct, 16 2004 @ 11:07 PM
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Still, this is the most credible new-found propulsion so far to come out in recent times.Hope it comes to fruition man..


XL5

posted on Oct, 17 2004 @ 02:31 AM
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If you could ever make a repulsive magnetic beam, the craft being pushed would need a magnet on its back side. When the beam was turned on, the craft would do a 180 and then be attracted. Maybe its called "magnetic" and its really that gravity beam that can knock stuff over from far away.



posted on Oct, 17 2004 @ 05:12 PM
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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]



posted on Oct, 24 2004 @ 06:06 AM
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Hello. Im new and I am sure this may sound dumb but here goes. Why keep the beam and sail separated? If you were to say mount the magnetized sail on the front of the vessel and the beam on the back It would be like mounting a large fan on the back of a sailboat. The ship would probably be very large but if it would work you would not have to build the large earth oribiting station PLUS the mars orbiting station to propel the ship. Did that make sense?


[edit on 24-10-2004 by Brian697]



posted on Oct, 24 2004 @ 06:12 AM
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Originally posted by Brian697
Hello. Im new and I am sure this may sound dumb but here goes. Why keep the beam and sail separated? If you were to say mount the magnetized sail on the front of the vessel and the beam on the back It would be like mounting a large fan on the back of a sailboat. The ship would probably be very large but if it would work you would not have to build the large earth oribiting station PLUS the mars orbiting station to propel the ship. Did that make sense?



I was wondering that as well, make sense wouldn't it


Originally posted by jra
Well I hope this hasn't been posted already


There was a thread on this before (not very long ago though)....

Plasma Beam Eyed in Space Travel

the threads seem slighty different for some reason though...



[Edited on 24-10-2004 by UK Wizard]



posted on Oct, 24 2004 @ 06:21 AM
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I forgot about the deceleration. Maybe a sail in front and a sail in back with the beam in the middle? Somebody explain if the force from the beam would propel the craft forward of if it would actually cancel itself out (i.e. force from the beam hitting the sail pushes forward but the beam itself pushes backward as it is emitted)



posted on Oct, 25 2004 @ 08:31 AM
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Originally posted by Brian697
I forgot about the deceleration. Maybe a sail in front and a sail in back with the beam in the middle? Somebody explain if the force from the beam would propel the craft forward of if it would actually cancel itself out (i.e. force from the beam hitting the sail pushes forward but the beam itself pushes backward as it is emitted)


The beam source is mounted separate from the vehicle. If on a space
station the plasma stream must travel through space until it reaches the
vehicle, and transfers momentum to the vehicle when it becomes
entrained in the vehicles magnetic field. The source might be on the
moon instead.. same idea though. If the beam source and "sail" are
attached together then there would be no net transfer of momentum
and the vehicle would go nowhere. They have to be separate.



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