Radical NASA Propulsion Concept Could Reach Interstellar Space in Under 5 Years

Science Alert ^ | 24 March 2023 | Fiona MacDonald

[TChad]

A newly proposed propulsion system could theoretically beam a heavy spacecraft to outside the confines of our Solar System in less than 5 years – a feat that took the historic Voyager 1 probe 35 years to achieve.

The concept, known as 'pellet-beam' propulsion, was awarded an early-stage US$175,000 NASA grant for further development earlier this year.

To be clear, the concept currently doesn't exist much beyond calculations on paper, so we can't get too excited just yet.

Still, it's attracted attention not only because of its potential to get us into interstellar space within a human lifetime – something that traditional, chemical-fueled rockets can't – but also because it claims it can do so with much larger crafts.

"This proposal examines a new propulsion architecture for fast transit of heavy (1 ton and more) payloads across the Solar System and to interstellar medium," explains the lead researcher behind the proposal, aerospace engineer Artur Davoyan from the University of California, Los Angeles.

[BobL]

“So, beyond Pluto? Still a long way to anywhere else.”

Yep. Walk a couple of steps on US 50 on the west side of Nevada and ignore the rest of the distance to Utah.

[AndyJackson]

The spacecraft orbiting Earth would shoot a beam of tiny microscopic particles at the interstellar spacecraft. Those particles would be heated up by lasers, causing part of them to melt into plasma that accelerates the pellets further, a process known as laser ablation.

This is the process that is used in laser fusion. It's a few percent efficient in converting laser energy into pellet kinetic energy. And the conversion of electrical or chemical energy in the laser is 10%-20% effient if you are really really lucky and really really good.

Then there is the problem of putting into orbit the generating capability to provide all of that energy to driver the laser.

Then there is the problem of controlling the trajectory of the pellet to the required accuracy [imagine trying to hit a 20' tarket with a .22 cal rifle from accross the solar system. You have all kinds of tracking and pointing problems. Oh, and you have to allow for corrections from a solar wind that hasn't yet been ejected from the Sun when you shoot the bullet. The solar wind is a weak force, but it doesn't take much to miss a target when you are shooting across the solar system

But once these kinks are worked out it will be a brilliant concept.

[DannyTN]

Use Radicals for space propulsion?

Part of me says Great Idea!!! Make a bunch of trouble makers do something useful.

But who gets to determine who is radical?

[Az Joe]

Laser guided mini spaceships could reach Alpha Centauri in 20 years

https://www.space.com/laser-propelled-spaceships-solar-system-exploration

Indeed, the $100 million Breakthrough Starshot initiative, announced in 2016, plans to launch swarms of microchip-size spacecraft to Alpha Centauri, each of them sporting extraordinarily thin, incredibly reflective sails propelled by the most powerful lasers ever built. The plan has them flying at up to 20% the speed of light, reaching Alpha Centauri in about 20 years. (with cameras)

[Az Joe]

See post 24

[griffin]

Ditch the unleaded and go with nitrous oxide and a blower! YEAH!!

[Organic Panic]

“could” = No it won’t

[sauropod]

bkmk

[zeestephen]

How do they slow it down?

If the space craft cannot slow down enough to orbit a planet, dock with a space station, or land on a moon or planet, it seems to have very limited utility, except for taking high def photos as it speeds by various heavenly bodies.

[fella]

Few people can grasp the reality of how vast the universe is and how alone and tiny we are.
No matter how much we theorize and search the fact this is the only place we know where life is. Earth is truely a privileged planet.

We need to get our megalomaniac leaders under control or their contests to rule the world will destroy it.

[free_life]

How to get your enemies (Russia and China)to waste time and money on made up nonsense.

[TChad]

How to get your enemies (Russia and China)to waste time and money on made up nonsense.

Ha! I though it sounded pretty good, but maybe so.

[TChad]

Be careful writing about “Clarke” and “boys” in the same sentence...

Thanks for that info. I was a Clarke fan as a boy, but heard nothing about his sex life.

[absalom01]

To work, the conceptual propulsion system requires two spacecraft – one that sets off for interstellar space, and one that goes into orbit around Earth.

The spacecraft orbiting Earth would shoot a beam of tiny microscopic particles at the interstellar spacecraft.

Those particles would be heated up by lasers, causing part of them to melt into plasma that accelerates the pellets further, a process known as laser ablation.

Those pellets could reach 120 km/second (75 miles/second) and either hit the sail of the interstellar spacecraft or repel a magnet within it, helping to propel the spacecraft to huge speeds that would let it whizz out of our heliosphere – the bubble of solar wind around our Solar System.

"With the pellet-beam, outer planets can be reached in less than a year, 100 AU [astronomical unit] in about 3 year and solar gravity lens at 500 AU in about 15 years," says Davoyan.

 

So, seems that there's a small problem: no brakes.  The vehicle would just zip along forever at high speed, but with no way to stop.

[absalom01]

It wasn’t much of a secret that Clarke was a homosexual, and as such it’s easy to believe that he would be guilty of those charges, but the Sri Lankan cops investigated and declared that it was a case of attempted extortion. Who knows, but there’s at least some controversy over the matter.