Major VASIMR test

[docm]

Press release (PDF).....

PRESS RELEASE 020709, July 2, 2009

VX-200 demonstrates superconducting first
stage at full power.

[Houston, TX. For immediate release] – Ad Astra
Rocket Company has successfully demonstrated
operation of its VX-200 plasma engine first stage at full
power and under superconducting conditions in tests
conducted today at the company’s Houston laboratory.
This achievement is a key milestone in the engine’s
development and the first time a superconducting plasma
rocket has been operated at that power level.

Today’s tests build on the achievements of the VX-200i,
the engine’s non-superconducting predecessor, which
last fall underwent similar tests but under a greatly
reduced set of requirements. A major difference between
the two is the superconducting magnet, featured in the
present system, which provides a ten-fold increase in the
magnetic field and enables operation of the engine under
conditions consistent with actual space flight.

The VX-200 superconducting magnet, the first of its
kind, was delivered to Ad Astra’s Houston facility on
February 10, 2009 by its manufacturer, Scientific
Magnetics of Oxford, U.K. After successful acceptance
tests, the superconductor was installed in the engine
module, replacing the conventional magnet that had been
used in the interim. This interim magnet, although
incapable of reaching the strong magnetic fields required
for full rocket performance, enabled the integrated
testing of the remaining engine sub-systems while the
company awaited delivery of the superconductor. First
plasma in full superconducting mode was achieved on
June 24, 2009.

The successful first stage tests conducted today are
critically important and are prerequisites to operational
testing of the second stage of the engine. This activity is
expected to commence on July 14, 2009, after the team
completes a full analysis of the new data. The second
stage is designed to inject up to 170 kW of additional
power into the plasma for a total of 200 kW, the engine’s
total rated power.

The present configuration achieves drastic increases in
key rocket performance parameters over previous VX-
200i results, including a 5-fold increase in propellant
flow rate and an equivalent increase in the rate of plasma
production with a ten-fold increase in the magnetic field,
all consistent with the conditions required for space
flight.

The VX-200 engine is the first flight-like prototype of
the VASIMR® propulsion system, a new high-power
plasma-based rocket, initially studied by NASA and now
being developed privately by Ad Astra. VASIMR®
engines could enable space operations far more
efficiently than today’s chemical rockets and ultimately
they could also greatly speed up robotic and human
transit times for missions to Mars and beyond
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[Boris_Badenov]

Has there been any word on when they'll ship one up to ISS for full on testing in space?

 

[tampaDreamer]

The next question is, how small can they make these? The more of them you can pack onto a single ship, the better they become.

 

[docm]

NASA has said a VASIMR will go to the ISS in the 2012 time frame. There will be no shuttle flights by then but they've said it would be lofted in a private cargo flight, which makes me think SpaceX.

The one being tested is not that large but it's mounted in a hexagonal rack about 1.5 meter across. VASIMR's for lunar or planetary missions would have to be bigger or ganged - perhaps a good reason for the honeycomb-like packaging.

 

[docm]

Update: at yesterday's Senate confirmation hearing for incoming NASA administrator Charlie Bolden he said :

"Franklin Chang Diaz is my idol - he has a VASIMIR rocket that will take us to Mars in 39 days."

Nice vote of confidence!!

 

[Maitri982]

Can we now say to the skeptics that VASIMR is a real and viable space rocket technology? i think we can...

this is the only technology in this stage of development that could actually send manned missions to Jupiter, but i may not live long enough to see that...

Cheers,
M

 

[MeteorWayne]

No Not yet

Let's get some real world testing done first!

 

[Maitri982]

They have run in vacuum chamber with all the key parts of space ready hardware...so for me, they have proven that it will work in space just fine and it is no longer a concept.

now we just need to haul it up there and let it do its thing...and in the meantime we should be developing nuclear power sources that can be used to give it all the juice it will need for missions to mars and the outer\inner planets.

Cheers,
M

 

[webtaz99]

Awesome. Go VASIMR!

 

[Jazman1985]

Can't wait to see this on the ISS for stationkeeping, will really bring maintenance costs down and prove it's a viable technology. Makes you wonder the limiting factors of this technology, it sounds like they should be able to do some good miniaturization with the advances in the magnetics used.

 

[docm]

It's way off but Chang-Diaz, who besides being an astronaut and space entrepreneur is a physicist, has said that a fusion rocket could evolve from the VASIMR tech.

http://www.adastrarocket.com/CW102spacefinal.pdf

VASIMR™ is capable of reaching speeds unattainable by other rockets. Thus,
coupled with nuclear power for electricity, a flight to Mars using VASIMR™ could be
done in 39 days, as compared to the seven to eight months that would be required
using chemical propulsion. The VASIMR™ is the precursor to the fusion rocket, a
plasma rocket capable of generating its own power through thermonuclear fusion.
These fusion engines are still far in the future, but some day, they will provide
humans ready and quick access to all points in the solar system.

Now that would be something

 

[Maitri982]

Indeed it would! Maybe I'll live long enough to see it...

 

[nimbus]

@Cough% polywell #cough&

 

[docm]

US Navy procurement docent for the Polywell WB8+ test reactor from April, 2009. In June 2009 the US Navy confirmed contracts are now in existence for funding and construction.

https://www.neco.navy.mil/upload/N68936 ... R-0044.pdf

Section C - Descriptions and Specifications

STATEMENT OF WORK

STATEMENT OF WORK FOR ADVANCED GASEOUS ELECTROSTATIC ENERGY (AGEE) CONCEPT EXPLORATION

14 April 2009

1.0 Scope

This Statement Of Work defines the effort required for the concept exploration and technology demonstration of the Advanced Gaseous Electrostatic Energy (AGEE) concept. The Statement of Work covers research, analysis, development, and testing to validate the basic physics of the AGEE concept as well as requirements to provide the Navy with data for potential applications of AGEE.

1.1 Background

This procurement is a follow-on to initial research into small-scale nuclear fusion systems employing a unique approach conceived by Dr. Bussard of Energy/Matter Conversion Corporation (EMC2). It covers research, analysis, development, and testing to validate the basic physics of the AGEE concept based upon successful completion of previous contracts N00014-93-C-0224, N00014-96-C-0039, N68936-09-P-0029, N68936-09-P-0095, N68936-09-P-0133 and N68936-03-C-0031 exploring the concept. The current effort will build on what has been completed under these previous contracts as well as requirements to provide the Navy with data for potential applications of AGEE with a delivered item, wiffleball 8 (WB8) and options for a modified wiffleball 8 (WB8.1) and modified ion gun. The objective of this procurement is validation of the basic physics of the AGEE concept as well as requirements to provide the Navy with data for potential applications of AGEE. It builds upon previous concept-demonstration bench top versions of plasma wiffleballs. As such, it comes under the FAR 35.001 definition of applied research. The contract will be for a wiffleball 8 with 2 options for modifications to the wiffleball based upon it’s success.
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3.2 Option for further development and testing (WB8.1).

3.2.1 Enhanced Ion Drive with PB11 (proton/boron 11):

Based on the results of WB8 testing, and the availability of government funds the contractor shall develop a WB machine (WB8.1) which incorporates the knowledge and improvements gained in WB8. It is expected that higher ion drive capabilities will be added, and that a “PB11” reaction will be demonstrated. The contractor shall investigate and validate the plasma scaling laws with respect to B-field, voltage and reactor size. The contractor shall investigate the feasibility of a neutron-free fusion power reaction using a polywell WB machine. It is anticipated that improvements in WB confinement, ion energy, and fusion reactivity will be demonstrated in WB8.1. Improvements over the WB8 predictive, computational model are expected, which should yield a better understanding of the WB fusion reaction thus allowing optimization of the WB machine.
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[webtaz99]

Can't wait to see this on the ISS for stationkeeping, will really bring maintenance costs down and prove it's a viable technology. Makes you wonder the limiting factors of this technology, it sounds like they should be able to do some good miniaturization with the advances in the magnetics used.

The mass of any foreseeable power source will dwarf the thruster mass.

 

[docm]

The VX-200 is solar powered but yes, nuclear reactors will be needed for manned missions. Thing is you don't need much 'thrust', even for relatively heavy payloads. It's the continuous application of that thrust over thousands of hours that does the trick.

The reactor designs are there, someone just needs get off their buns, get the funding and build one. The new NASA admin. seems to get the idea, the question is can he convince the administration to aim high.

New Scientist VASIMR article here.... that has some up to date info: they've started testing it with both stages engaged. Up to 50 kW now, 200 when times right.

 

[js117]

The nuclear reactors needed to power this engine to Mars is 12MW - 200MW depending how fast you whant to
get there. This is very large

To Mars
For humans to travel safely to Mars and beyond, it will be important to make the trip as quickly as possible and thereby reduce the crew's exposure to weightlessness and space radiation. With today's chemical rockets, a round-trip to Mars would take over two years, with much of that time spent waiting for the right planetary alignment to return. More rapid transits are possible with a VASIMR® propulsion system powered by a nuclear-electric generator. With 12 megawatts of electrical power, a ship could reach Mars in less than four months and with 200 megawatts of power the outbound trip could be as short as 39 days

Link from there site. http://www.adastrarocket.com/ToMars.html


SP100 was 100kwe nuclear electric generator and wight of 4000kg.
Also you have to get rid of all the heat.

 

[justinc210]

@Cough% polywell #cough&

Yes...lol...I haven't heard of that one in a while. They need some serious $$$ though to continue research. The same goes for The Dense Plasma Focus. The trouble is that with so much being spend on the Tokamak reactors, there isn't much left to go around for these other devices. Not to mention, that no one really wants to dole out money for research right now with the economy in a slump. Nevertheless...it is very exciting to hear that the Navy is picking this back up again.

Does anyone have numbers on how big a 12MW nuclear reactor would be. Including the reactor core, ancillary cooling systems, steam generators, turbines, etc...?

 

[docm]

With 12 megawatts of electrical power, a ship could reach Mars in less than four months and with 200 megawatts of power the outbound trip could be as short as 39 days.

So there is a choice between 12 and 200, and an outsize portion of the performance comes from that first 12 megawatts. The law of diminishing returns being in full force; 16.7 times the power only gets you there only 3.17 times as fast, but still a lot faster than a chemical mission and well within the mission lengths on the ISS.

Now consider a reactor based on the very compact Hyperion design using uranium hydride, a medium that is both fuel and moderator making the reactor self-regulating. Hyperion has proposed a 27 MWe 1.5 meter wide (core) reactor for lunar base use. Earth unattended 'burn time' is up to 10 years, so presumably one could make a smaller one for more limited uses but with similar output. With their full sized Earth-bound unit being ~15 tons and ~3 meters high....

Expected to go into mass production (yes, it can be build on an assembly line) in 2013. They're working with Los Almos, which makes sense since one of their guys invented it...

Sounds like a plan.

 

[docm]

Back to the OP: this site has some video's of the first stage test. Hopefully some of the firing of both stages will come online soon....

Link....

 

[nimbus]

@Cough% polywell #cough&

Yes...lol...I haven't heard of that one in a while. They need some serious $$$ though to continue research.

10-15M$ for a 1 meter, 1 Tesla continuous machine. What's been said is that the funding from pretty much everyone is waiting for the results of the next round of experiments. That's about two year's time.

 

[radarredux]

Let's get some real world testing done first!

You mean real space testing done first. :lol: