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Ion beam projector and Magsail

 
 
neil
 
Reply Sat 22 Jan, 2005 09:14 pm
We can likely demonstrate the concept in this decade, but it will not be a very useful craft. We can build a licquid hydrogen cooled super conducting magsail and a magbeam ion projector at the ISS, except it will compromise other functions of the ISS. We can build another magbeam ion projector in solar stationary orbit = always shaded by Earth, about 20,000 kilometers orbital radius. Let's assume the effective range of the projector is 100 kilometers = 100,000 meters.
If acceleration averages 0.2 meters per sec per sec for 1000 seconds: S = 1/2at squared = 100,000 meters: delta v = S/t = 100,000/1000 = 100 meters per second = 360 kilometers per hour (other factors apply) which may be enough to coast to the solar synchronous ion projector in about one week. It is climbing out of Earth's gravity well. Before the craft leaves the shadow of Earth, it needs to reduce the current in the super conducting loop by about 1000 times as the craft will not carry enough licquid hydrogen to maintain super conducting temperature in sun light. Disposing of this energy non-distructively, in 1/2 hour will be challanging. We will need to re-establish the large super conducting loop current in the shade of Earth by the time the craft reaches the solar sychronous ion projector where it can gain somewhat less (angles are less than optimum) than a delta v of 100 meters per second, which is probably not enough to take it much of anywhere other than a circular orbit near solar synchonous altitude. The payload will be puny. A delta v of one millimeter per second per second may be possible using Earth's magnetosphere (and ions) if the super conducting loop has a large enough diameter.
Perhaps by the time this is successfully demenstated, a space rated superconductor at about boiling nitrogen temperature will be available. This will allow other locations (not in the shade) for the magnetic ion projectors, hundreds of which will be needed (unless the effective range can be increased to lots more than 100 kilometers) to insert in Mars orbit or land on Mars in 45 days. It will be very rare that even 1/10 th of the orbiting ion projectors will be at the right place at the right time for any given mission, so lots of missions makes the ion projectors more cost effective. Please comment, refute and/or embellish. Neil
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