[ExI] future fizzle

[Stefano Vaj]

On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 3:28 AM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:

> Stefano, you realize there are two completely different things being
> discussed here, ja?


Yes, all that is crystal clear. Vasimir plasma propulsion may work with
solar energy in the ISS, but requires something juicier for a Mars trip.
Plenty of information available on the Web in this respect. And we can
expect the same reactions we had with the Cassini's flyby.

"Of course, we would need a lot more power to effectively use a
Vasimr-powered rocket, and solar cells just won’t cut it in deep
interplanetary space. So what would we use? A nuclear reactor, of course. We
woudln’t need a large one; in fact, the nuclear reactor found on the *Los
Angeles* class attack submarine would be the ideal size to power a Vasimr
plasma engine. Not surprisingly, Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz, the CEO of Ad
Astra and a seven-time Space Shuttle astronaut, agrees that nuclear fission
would be the best available solution. His analysis has suggested that a
12-megawatt Vasimr spacecraft could reach Mars in as little as 39 days, a
far cry from the nine months it currently takes to send unmanned craft from
Earth to the red planet."

**
http://www.dan-schulz.com/writing/space-science/nasa-to-test-vasimir-on-space-station.html

-- 
Stefano Vaj
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