Wow, where did this go?

[grooble]

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/laser_propulsion_000705.html<br /><br />Whatever happened to this program? Sounded great, you could potentially have ultra low cost acess to space if this was built up. <br /><br />I hope it wasn't cancelled, the budget was only $100k, but the payoff would have been incredible, things like this should have been priority. Oh well. <br />

 

[nexium]

I think the article and possibly the team are over selling. It appears that the laser is the spark plug which ignits the fuel in a controlled manner. The concept likely reduces the mass of the rocket engine and may allow slightly greater ISP, but it appears to be a chemical propelled rocket with the laser beam providing perhaps 1% of the thrust.<br /> Dr. Edwards hopes to use a very efficient photo panel to convert a laser beam to electricty for the climber for the Space Elevator.<br /> Laser beam energy which hits the space craft where it provides little propulion tends to overheat the space craft. Over heating may be the biggest challenge for external beam propulsion. Neil

 

[rancamp]

On an update:<br />Dr. Jordin Kare wrote a couple of reports for the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts on a Modular Laser Launch system. (See the NIAC website for the papers)<br />He has suggested using diode, fiber, or diode pumped chemical lasers to launch spacecraft having Heat Exchanger engines on them. Such a system will be technically and economically cheaper than the Lightcraft design. And, also unlike Lightcraft can be done with todays or near term technology. The systems also has uses in power beaming, (such as for the Space Elevator) and multiple redundency, as well as being incrementally buildable and testable.<br />Dr. Kare is supposed to have a design finalized and be talking about it at this years Space Access Conference in Phoenix. I don't suppose anyone here will be attending?<br /><br />Randy

 

[grooble]

Not me, if i lived in the states though i'd attend every space conference going.

 

[tap_sa]

Is this the same Jordin Kare that designed Mockingbird, a consept for reusable SSTO nanolauncher, wet-weight about one ton, burns H2O2/RP-1. I've only seen few old news-posting references to that but would really like to know more.

 

[rancamp]

Tap-Sa wrote:<br /> />Is this the same Jordin Kare that designed<br /> />Mockingbird, a consept for reusable SSTO<br /> />nanolauncher, wet-weight about one ton, burns<br /> />H2O2/RP-1. I've only seen few old news-posting<br /> />references to that but would really like to know more.<br /><br />The same. As for 'more' you've seen more than I have it appears. I didn't even know what Mockingbird was supposed to run on.<br /><br />Randy