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Old February 21st 07, 05:03 PM posted to sci.space.news
Andrew Yee[_1_]
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Default U.Alabama-Huntsville continuing propulsion research for deep space travel (Forwarded)

Office of News Services
University of Alabama-Huntsville

For more information:
Ray Garner, (256) 824-6397

1/08/2007

UAH continuing propulsion research for deep space travel

Graduate students and faculty researchers at The University of Alabama in
Huntsville are investigating propulsion concepts that could eventually
revolutionize deep space travel.

The Plasmoid Thruster Experiment (PTX) is a stepping stone to a highly
efficient propulsion concept which could ultimately change how we travel in
space, according to Dr. Jason Cassibry, a researcher in UAH's Propulsion
Research Center.

"Larger, more powerful versions can produce fusion for both power and space
propulsion, allowing human travel to the outer planets," he said.

Few groups around the country are working on this emerging technology,
according to Cassibry. UAH is among that small number of research
institutions.

The experimental branch of the Propulsion Research Center's pulsed plasma
research group is focused on gathering experimental data from PTX, which was
originally built at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. MSFC donated the
equipment to UAH last year.

The purpose of the PTX is to investigate the fundamental plasma and
acceleration properties of a small-scale, pulsed plasma thruster.

PTX works by ringing a single turn conical theta pinch coil at about 500
kHz, ionizing and accelerating a small quantity of gas. The magnetic field
inside the coil creates a plasmoid, a plasma that has a closed magnetic
field structure.

One of the biggest challenges in any electric propulsion concept is
increasing the lifetime of the thruster, which must run continuously for
several years for deep space missions. Most electric propulsion concepts use
plasma, which is in contact with electrodes or acceleration grids, causing
erosion of the components and limiting the lifetime of the thruster. The
plasmoid thruster potentially has a much longer lifetime, because the plasma
is formed inductively, which means that the plasma is not in contact with
the thruster components.

UAH researchers ran system tests and calibrations in October, and today the
equipment is at full capacity.

In the short term, PTX will continue to take data in support of the ongoing
development of the numerical models. This will be accomplished by using a
laser interferometer to measure the plasma density. Also, magnetic field
measurements help to determine size of the plasmoid. Together, these
diagnostics provide a lot of information without affecting the plasmoid
itself, according to Cassibry.

In the long term, the PTX experiment will be expanded by varying the coil
geometry, adding bias flux and changing the initial conditions to study the
effect on the coupling efficiency between the primary coil current and the
secondary current in the plasmoid in an effort to improve plasma
acceleration and thrust.

"Our experimental pulsed plasma group is keeping a watchful eye on the field
of plasma science," Cassibry said. "We believe that we now have the means
and the ability to support further scientific developments in this field."

IMAGE CAPTION:
[http://uahnews.uah.edu/newsImages/plasmoidthruster.jpg (82KB)]
Kjell-Edmund Ims, a UAH graduate student from Norway, is shown with a
plasmoid thruster in UAH's Propulsion Research Center.