Author Topic: The Future of Deep Space Propulsion May Soon Be Radically Altered  (Read 1077 times)

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Online Elderberry

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Seeker by Nancy Atkinson 6/30/2017

According to several experts who testified before Congress this week, we may be on the cusp of advances that could dramatically transform how we fly through space.


T here’s a saying among space exploration enthusiasts that human missions to Mars have always been 20 years ahead of available technology. We’ve never quite had the significant research investment and development needed for propulsion, life support, and the ability to land large payloads — to name just a few critical elements — in order to establish human settlements on Mars.

But according to several experts who testified before Congress this week, we may be on the cusp of advances that could radically alter how we fly through space, with breakthroughs that could allow faster travel, larger payloads, and greater efficiency in propulsion. Space industry leaders discussed recent advances in in-space propulsion that were brought about, in part, by the all-but-canceled Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), which may surprise some of the program’s critics.

Participants in the hearing, which was held by the Space Subcommittee of the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology, were part of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP), a public-private collaborative model that uses commercial development of deep space exploration capabilities to support more extensive human spaceflight missions with NASA.

“The development of our in-space propulsion and power technologies are essential for future exploration,” Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), the subcommittee chair, told Seeker following the hearing. “The work that NASA is doing to adapt its current work on solar electric propulsion to a Deep Space Gateway architecture and further pursuit of high-power in-space propulsion for a Deep Space Transport are key to ensuring that human exploration of Mars is affordable and sustainable. Future development of these technologies will be essential to unlocking the secrets of our solar system’s ocean worlds, like Europa.”

    “I believe space travel beckons humanity even more today than it did 50 years ago.”

More: https://www.seeker.com/space/exploration/the-future-of-deep-space-propulsion-may-soon-be-radically-altered

Offline Joe Wooten

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Re: The Future of Deep Space Propulsion May Soon Be Radically Altered
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2017, 12:36:20 pm »
Thrust levels are too low for these engines to be really useful for human payloads. No one wants to spend weeks spiraling through the van Allen belts to get out of earth orbit, then spend months thrusting along. A Hohman orbit to Mars using chemical rockets would work better. Those engines need both high efficiency AND higher thrust levels. Much higher. Solar electric will not cut it. You need nukes to provide the multi megawatt power levels needed.

All that goes back to the fact you need the construction infrastructure in place in LEO before you can start building these and that infrastructure has to be started with heavy equipment launched up from Earth. Resources from the moon will help in this, which means we need to get back there first and learn how to live there and exploit the resources that exist on it.

Let the robots explore Mars and the other planets while we get the infrastructure in place. It will take decades to get it running properly.

Offline Cripplecreek

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Re: The Future of Deep Space Propulsion May Soon Be Radically Altered
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2017, 12:48:03 pm »
Thrust levels are too low for these engines to be really useful for human payloads. No one wants to spend weeks spiraling through the van Allen belts to get out of earth orbit, then spend months thrusting along. A Hohman orbit to Mars using chemical rockets would work better. Those engines need both high efficiency AND higher thrust levels. Much higher. Solar electric will not cut it. You need nukes to provide the multi megawatt power levels needed.

All that goes back to the fact you need the construction infrastructure in place in LEO before you can start building these and that infrastructure has to be started with heavy equipment launched up from Earth. Resources from the moon will help in this, which means we need to get back there first and learn how to live there and exploit the resources that exist on it.

Let the robots explore Mars and the other planets while we get the infrastructure in place. It will take decades to get it running properly.

Ideally we'll need to be able to produce enough on demand thrust to simulate gravity but even for short hops to the moon that's a good thing.

Again it always comes back to our need to return to the moon for development of technologies.

Online Elderberry

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Re: The Future of Deep Space Propulsion May Soon Be Radically Altered
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2017, 01:03:12 pm »
Quote
The Future of Deep Space Propulsion May Soon Be Radically Altered


Think Pioneer and Voyager, Not Human Transportation.


Offline kevindavis007

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Re: The Future of Deep Space Propulsion May Soon Be Radically Altered
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2017, 03:13:27 pm »
Ideally we'll need to be able to produce enough on demand thrust to simulate gravity but even for short hops to the moon that's a good thing.

Again it always comes back to our need to return to the moon for development of technologies.


I think that is the logic of going back to the moon.. Develop technologies like artificial gravity....
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Offline SunkenCiv

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Re: The Future of Deep Space Propulsion May Soon Be Radically Altered
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2017, 05:15:09 pm »
No one wants to spend weeks spiraling through the van Allen belts to get out of earth orbit...
...otoh, warming up the food pack is as easy as holding it out the window.  ;)
Let the robots explore Mars and the other planets while we get the infrastructure in place. It will take decades to get it running properly.
I wholeheartedly agree, assuming the only runner in the race is the US gubmint.  I expect reusable SRBs to enter the private launch market after NASA's official manned program to return to the Moon etc falls on its ass again -- and that's no further off than eight years.
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