Temperature estimation for a plasmapropelled rocket engine. Oct 18, 2004 decay waves have been observed in the megahertz range in the helium plasma generated by the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket magnetoplasma thruster. One of these systems, the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr engine, both applies several important physical processes occurring in the magnetosphere. Apr 05, 2014 hi, i was reading about vasimr,my knowledge in rocket science is very limited,i was able to understand how plasma is produced and used for propulsion but i didnt understand how specific impulse is varied and why is it not possible for other ionthrusters or even chemical ones to vary the. Performance studies of the vasimr vx200 ad astra rocket. Vasimr stands for variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket also seen as vasimr suggest new definition this definition appears somewhat frequently and is found in the following acronym finder categories. Us6334302b1 variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket. We describe a set of prototype hightemperature superconducting hts coils that are being considered for the vasimr variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket thruster proposed for testing on the radiation technology demonstration. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr engine is a new type of electric thruster with many unique advantages. The laboratory director is franklin changdiaz, a nasa astronaut who holds a doctorate in applied plasma physics and fusion technology from the massachusetts institute of technology. Abstract the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is an openended, rfheated, magnetic mirrorlike plasma device. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket wikipedia.
These processes include the mechanisms involved in the ion acceleration and heating that occur in the birkeland currents of an auroral arc system. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr, currently under development by ad astra rocket company webster, tx, is a unique propulsion system that could change the way space propulsion is performed. The threestage system features an rf driven plasma generatorinjector, an rf power booster and a hybrid magnetic nozzle. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket engine. They are measured using one of the tips of a triple probe connected to a 50 v input of a spectrum analyzer via a dc block a small capacitor. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket written by. Important features are its high and variable exhaust velocity, which greatly enhances performance. It uses radio waves to ionize and heat an inert propellant, then a magnetic field to accelerate the resulting plasma, generating thrust. Nasas funding was part of the 12 next space technologies for exploration partnership. Plasma propulsion pdf variablespecificimpulse magnetoplasma rocket tech. Hts coils cooled by the propellant are desirable to increase the energy efficiency of the system. Vasimr variablespecificimpulse magnetoplasma rocket also. An electrodeless design enables the rocket to operate at power densities much greater than those of more conventional magnetoplasma or ion engines. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket.
Sep 09, 2015 the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket is an electromagnetic thruster for spacecraft propulsion. This mission to map the radiation environment out to several earth radii will employ both a hall thruster and a vasimr during its six months duration, beginning from low earth orbit. Propulsion magnetoplasmique a impulsion specifique variable. In a vasimr engine, gas such as argon, xenon, or hydrogen is injected into a tube surrounded by a magnet and a series of two radio wave rf couplers the couplers turn cold gas into superheated plasma and the rockets magnetic nozzle converts the plasma. Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and. Power systems study for two variable specific impulse. Vasimr engine variable specific impulse magnetoplasma. The threestage system features an rf driven plasma generatorinjector. Us6334302b1 variable specific impulse magnetoplasma. Several forms of electromagnetic propulsion have been researched and developed, such as the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket, pulsed inductive thrusters, and the electrodeless plasma thruster. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is a highpower propulsion concept using radio waves to create and accelerate plasma in a magnetic nozzle. Jan 01, 2002 variable thrust and specific impulse engines such as described in this invention can also provide advantageous capabilities in attitude control of a space vehicle. Variablespecificimpulse magnetoplasma rocket listed as vasimr. When the us was beginning to investigate the gridded ion drive, the soviet union was investigating the hall effect thruster het.
The physics and engineering of this device have been under study since 1980. Nasa new rocket technology could cut mars travel time. This is an equally valid and in some ways somewhat simpler way of defining the effectiveness of a rocket propellant. American institute of aeronautics and astronautics 12700 sunrise valley drive, suite 200 reston, va 201915807 703. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket engine the. It uses radio waves to ionize a propellant and magnetic fields to accelerate the resulting plasma to generate thrust. Nasaa s variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket engine vasimr will provide a highly efficient propulsion source that can dramatically reduce martian transit times, provide for more abort contingencies, and protect astronauts from space radiation with its highly radiationabsorbent hydrogen fuel. Pdf experimental status of the development of a variable. Improved efficiency and throttling range of the vx200. When combined with chemical rocket technologies in a flexible architecture, the vasimr allows new and dramatically improved mission scenarios to be considered. An engine is disclosed, including a controllable output plasma generator, a controllable heater for selectably raising a temperature of the plasma connected to an outlet of the plasma generator, and a nozzle connected to an outlet of the heater, through which heated plasma is discharged to provide thrust. Testing of the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vx200 engine was performed over a wide throttle range in a 150 m3 vacuum chamber with sufficient pumping to permit exhaust plume measurements at argon background pressures less than 1. Experimental evidence of parametric decay processes in the. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket ijert.
As advanced inspace propulsion moves from science fiction to reality, the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket, or vasimr engine, is a leading contender for making mars in a month a possibility. Hts magnets for advanced magnetoplasma space propulsion. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket artists impression of multimegawatt vasimr spacecraft the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is an electromagnetic thruster for spacecraft propulsion. For a rocket, the specific impulse defined in this way is simply the effective exhaust velocity relative to the rocket, v e. Space exploration can greatly benefit from the highpower electric propulsion capabilities the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr provides. It uses radio waves to ionize and heat a propellant, and magnetic fields to. Called the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr, the technology has been under development at johnsons advanced space propulsion laboratory. In this study, we analyze the power storage systems needed for operational tests of a variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr on the international space station iss. In one embodiment, the source of plasma is a helicon generator.
Design analysis of a high temperature radiator for the. Research status of the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket core. Pdf this research about vasimr engine as history, work principle and future applications. Nov 16, 2012 american institute of aeronautics and astronautics 12700 sunrise valley drive, suite 200 reston, va 201915807 703. Design of rf systems for the rtd mission vasimr unt digital. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket video.
Pdf the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is an openended. He founded ad astra in 2005 to work on vasimr, the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket. Variablespecificimpulse magnetoplasma rocket how is. Cn102434414a magnetic nozzle of variable specific impulse. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket or vasimr could cut space travel time by nearly a sixth of the time currently required. Variablespecificimpulse magnetoplasma rocket tech briefs. Pdf vasimr engine variable specific impulse magnetoplasma. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is an openended, rfheated, magnetic mirrorlike plasma device.
A nasaled, research team is developing this technology in the u. While a lot of things have changed in over 40 years, todays spacecraft are still traveling at about the same speed that john glenn did when he became the first american to orbit the earth in 1962. Indira gandhi national open university, delhi, india. The specific impulse of a rocket can be defined in terms of thrust per unit mass flow of propellant. The invention relates to a magnetic nozzle of a variable specific impulse magnetic plasma rocket, aiming at solving the problem of speed waste during acceleration of a plasma body in an electric propulsion system and relating to the design technology of the magnetic nozzle of the variable specific impulse magnetic plasma rocket. It is a plasma propulsion engine, one of several types of spacecraft electric propulsion systems. Rocket engineers love the idea of variable specific impulse, because it allows a spacecraft to behave more like a race car, adjusting its acceleration at each turn around a track. However, its technology also paves the way for ignited plasma rockets powered by controlled thermonuclear fusion. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is a high power, radio frequencydriven magnetoplasma rocket, capable of exhaust modulation at constant power. The first flight test of the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is tentatively scheduled for the radiation and technology demonstration rtd in 2003.
May 26, 2006 the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is a highpower propulsion concept using radio waves to create and accelerate plasma in a magnetic nozzle. Vasimr is a high power, radio frequencydriven magnetoplasma rocket, capable of ispthrust modulation at constant power. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is an electrothermal thruster. This paper focuses on the operational details of the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket abbreviated as vasimr, which is basically a rocket using plasma as its mode of propulsion for accelerating itself into space over the conventional chemical. Vsimr variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket also. One of the most promising forms of electromagnetic propulsion, however, has been the magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. Design of a high temperature radiator for the variable. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket listed as vasimr. Media in category vasimr the following 7 files are in this category, out of 7 total.
Nasas new vasimr plasma engine could reach mars in 39 days. It is variablespecificimpulse magnetoplasma rocket. Mar 02, 2020 several forms of electromagnetic propulsion have been researched and developed, such as the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket, pulsed inductive thrusters, and the electrodeless plasma thruster. For example, the high thrust mode can be used to rapidly move and point very massive spacecraft, while the high specific impulse mode can provide extremely accurate pointing of the. They are measured using one of the tips of a triple probe connected to a 50. Hi, i was reading about vasimr,my knowledge in rocket science is very limited,i was able to understand how plasma is produced and used for propulsion but i didnt understand how specific impulse is varied and why is it not possible for other ionthrusters or even chemical ones to vary the.
Variable thrust and specific impulse engines such as described in this invention can also provide advantageous capabilities in attitude control of a space vehicle. As advanced space propulsion moves slowly from science fiction to achievable reality, the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket, or vasimr, is a leading contender for making mars in a. Decay waves have been observed in the megahertz range in the helium plasma generated by the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket magnetoplasma thruster. In a vasimr engine, gas such as argon, xenon, or hydrogen is injected into a tube surrounded by a magnet and a series of two radio wave rf couplers the couplers turn cold gas into superheated plasma and the rocket s magnetic nozzle converts the plasma. As an openended, rfheated, mirrorlike plasma device, the. Using vasimr for the proposed europa mission ad astra rocket. Plasma propulsion for interplanetary flight sciencedirect.
Vasimr stands for variablespecificimpulse magnetoplasma rocket also seen as vasimr suggest new definition this definition appears somewhat frequently and is. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocketvasimr. The plasma is produced by an integrated helicon discharge. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is an electrothermal thruster under development for possible use in spacecraft propulsion. The maximum amplitude of all waves is in the center of the plasma and does not. A paradigm shift in space transportation, this book is an indepth and compelling story cowritten by its inventor. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is an electromagnetic thruster for spacecraft propulsion. The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr is described.
The variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket is an electromagnetic thruster for spacecraft propulsion. Former astronaut launches kickstarter bid for plasma rocket. Variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket vasimr. Electromagnetic ion cyclotron resonance heating in the vasimr. An aspect of the engine design that affords a capability to achieve both high and variable specific impulse i sp places the vasimr far ahead of anything available today.
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