Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR.

From	"Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com>
Newsgroups	sci.space.policy, sci.astro, sci.physics, rec.arts.sf.science
Subject	Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR.
Date	2015-10-05 01:16 -0400
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<mut0vc$sa2$2@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	<mrpll4$bbk$2@dont-email.me> <MPG.304ab8e91e2164ea989898@news.eternal-september.org> <msqomf$t2m$2@dont-email.me>

Cross-posted to 4 groups.

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After running the numbers for fast flight times to Mars using plasma 
propulsion, I came to the surprising conclusion you can make the total 
missions size *smaller* than by the usual slow travel times. The reason for 
this unexpected conclusion is the short travel time allows a much smaller 
habitat for the transit, and therefore smaller propellant load:

Nuclear powered VASIMR and plasma propulsion doable now, Page 2.
http://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2015/10/nuclear-powered-vasimr-and-plasma.html

  Bob Clark


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A mission to Europa could result in the most important scientific advance in 
human history, dwarfing even the Apollo missions,
to discover life on another world. By commercial space, launch and 
spacecraft costs can be slashed by a factor of 10 or more.
This would be a cost that could be financed privately. And at costs this low 
it can even be done at a profit:

Low cost Europa lander missions.
http://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2015/02/low-cost-europa-lander-missions.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Robert Clark"  wrote in message news:msqomf$t2m$2@dont-email.me...

Key for this is to get high efficiency conversion to electricity. What
radiators do is dispense to space the heat that is not so converted. So if
you had a system that only converted 5% of the thermal to electric energy,
you would have to throw away 95% of the generated power. For large amounts
of generated power the radiators needed would be large and heavy.
As a model for how the conversion would work look to the SSME hydrogen
turbopumps. They were quite lightweight at 150 kw power per kg at high
efficiency, ca. 80%.

  Bob Clark



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A mission to Europa could result in the most important scientific advance in
human history, dwarfing even the Apollo missions,
to discover life on another world. By commercial space, launch and
spacecraft costs can be slashed by a factor of 10 or more.
This would be a cost that could be financed privately. And at costs this low
it can even be done at a profit:

Low cost Europa lander missions.
http://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2015/02/low-cost-europa-lander-missions.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Jeff Findley"  wrote in message
news:MPG.304ab8e91e2164ea989898@news.eternal-september.org...

In article <mrpll4$bbk$2@dont-email.me>,
rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com says...
>
> A criticism of the VASIMR plasma drive was that space nuclear power did 
> not
> have sufficient power at the needed lightweight. However, it turns out 
> that
> this is due to the heavy electrical generating equipment, not the nuclear
> reactors themselves.
>
> Then note that recent research has produced electrical generators at the
> needed lightweight, thus making nuclear-powered VASIMR viable:
>
> Nuclear powered VASIMR and plasma propulsion doable now.
> http://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2015/08/nuclear-powered-vasimr-and-plasma.html

What is the mass needed for the radiators, piping, coolant, and etc. for
a closed loop liquid/gas phase change turbine to power your lightweight
electrical generators?

Jeff
-- 


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Thread

39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-08-28 08:56 -0400
  Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Jeff Findley <jfindley@cinci.nospam.rr.com> - 2015-08-28 19:29 -0400
    Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-09-09 22:10 -0400
      Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-10-05 01:16 -0400
        Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Greg \(Strider\) Moore" <mooregr@deletethisgreenms.com> - 2015-10-05 07:07 -0400
        Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2015-10-05 20:57 +0000
          Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. gilber34 <fafa@invalid.com> - 2015-10-07 00:06 -0500
            Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Jeff Findley <jfindley@cinci.nospam.rr.com> - 2015-10-07 06:07 -0400
              Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Rick Jones <rick.jones2@hp.com> - 2015-10-07 17:07 +0000
              Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. gilber34 <fafa@invalid.com> - 2015-10-13 12:06 -0500
          Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-10-08 20:16 -0400
            Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2015-10-14 15:19 +0000
              Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Fred J. McCall <fjmccall@gmail.com> - 2015-10-14 08:30 -0700
                Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2015-10-14 16:57 +0000
                Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Fred J. McCall <fjmccall@gmail.com> - 2015-10-14 22:11 -0700
              Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-10-16 16:46 -0400
                Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-10-30 01:51 -0400
                Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2015-10-31 12:32 +0000
                Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-11-08 09:12 -0500
                Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2015-11-08 14:36 +0000
                Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-11-12 13:19 -0500
      Re: 39 days to Mars possible now with nuclear-powered VASIMR. "Robert Clark" <rgregoryclark@gmSPAMBLOACKail.com> - 2015-10-13 08:19 -0400

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