MagBeam is the name given to an
ion propulsion system for
space travel initially proposed by Professor Robert Winglee of the Earth and Space Sciences Department at the
University of Washington for the October 2004 meeting of the
NIAC. MagBeam is different from a traditional
electrostatic ion thruster in several ways, the primary one being that instead of the fuel and propulsion system being part of the payload craft, they are instead located on a platform held in
orbit. It has also been suggested that the technology could be used to reduce the amount of
space debris
Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict spacecr ...
in orbit around Earth.
Propulsion system
MagBeam propulsion uses a
helicon plasma
Plasma or plasm may refer to:
Science
* Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter
* Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral
* Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics
Biology
* Blood pla ...
source to produce a plasma beam. A helicon drive consists of a
quartz tube wrapped in a
radio antenna, into which a gas such as
argon or
xenon is injected. RF currents pass through the antenna creating a rapid variation of the electric field, ionizing the gas. The ionized gas is accelerated by a magnetic field to produce thrust. The helicon drive produces a tight beam of ions as the
magnetic field
A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...
that accelerates them continuously expands with the plasma beam keeping them focused. This ion beam is used to push a payload which is equipped with a small amount of gas for
propellant
A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or other motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the e ...
such as argon or xenon, a power source and a set of
electromagnets to produce a mini-magnetosphere
magnetic sail. The gas propellant is ejected into the plasma beam being directed at the craft which heats and ionizes it.
The electromagnets repel this ionized gas imparting thrust upon the payload. This results in an acceleration of around 1 ms
−2, much faster than traditional ion propulsion systems. This amount of acceleration would make it possible to make a trip to
Mars in as little as 50 days, reaching speeds as high as 20 km/s. The deceleration is accomplished by having another platform at the other end of the journey directing a plasma beam at the payload. By eliminating the mass of the propulsion system from the payload the MagBeam system allows for much faster acceleration and higher top speeds than conventional propulsion systems mounted on the payload. One problem with the system is the need for a sufficiently dense power-source, with a massive battery bank being proposed for an Earth-Mars Mag-Beam facility massing some 3,000 tons.
The system proposed by Winglee would allow a round-trip from Earth to
Mars in 90 days, with 11 days stop-over at Mars.
A similar system for use of a particle beam to push a mini-magnetosphere magnetic sail was proposed by
Geoffrey A. Landis
Geoffrey Alan Landis (; born May 28, 1955) is an American aerospace engineer and author, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics. He ...
in 2001 as a possible propulsion system for
interstellar travel.
Space debris clearance
Winglee has also proposed that the technology could be used to help clear
space debris
Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict spacecr ...
in Earth orbit by pushing items of debris out of orbit towards the atmosphere where they could burn up safely.
See also
*
List of plasma (physics) articles
This is a list of plasma physics topics.
A
* Ablation
* Abradable coating
* Abraham–Lorentz force
* Absorption band
* Accretion disk
* Active galactic nucleus
* Adiabatic invariant
* ADITYA (tokamak)
* Aeronomy
* Afterglow plasma
* Airg ...
References
External links
NASA site
{{spacecraft propulsion
Spacecraft propulsion
Magnetic propulsion devices