New Propulsion Research Lab Promises Greater Leaps Toward the StarsSeptember 15, 2004
In an effort to improve efficiency and cooperation in high energy propulsion research between scientists in NASA and academia, the US Congress allocated $32 million toward the building and completion of the facility on the 21 acre site in Arsenal Huntsville, Alabama, which was opened in July, 2004. The new facility consolidates six aging labs into one space age 108,000-square-foot facility where basic propulsion research can be conducted, then handed over to NASA projects for final application.
Steve Rogers, the manager of the facility, stated the Propulsion Research Lab has a 7.5 megawatt capacity, capable of concentrating 100 kilowatts, or more on one experiment. These high energy experiments, he stated, are designed to simulate the heat flow in nuclear reactor propulsion systems. "Nuclear electric propulsion", Rogers states, "is the best thing since liquid Hydrogen" and he spoke enthusiastically of the role the new facility will have in the Prometheus project, which will consist of design and integration studies for the program.
It is antimatter, however, which provides a glimpse of hope of traveling beyond our solar system and to the stars. But it wont be easy. Steve Rogers stated that he still doesn't know how it will be done and gave that reason as to the purpose of the housing of antimatter experiments in the new propulsion lab, which will consist of a small team working on the containment and long term storage of anti-protons using an electromagnetic Penning trap. The current project, Mark II, is aimed at the storage of one billion to one trillion antiprotons for weeks.
Currently Rogers sees critical material limits preventing antimatter from ever producing an ISP beyond 800 seconds, however he does lend greater hope toward successful design and implementation of an antimatter catalyzed fission, or fusion propulsion system, which could enable fast and efficient voyages within our solar system.
"Perhaps beamed energy propulsion", stated Rogers, speaking of possible propulsion technologies, which could be applied to interstellar voyages.
It seems as though stronger materials, or ingenious ways of protecting, or avoiding those materials from direct exposure to heat and radiation will have to be designed to ever realize the full benefit of the theoretical limits of nuclear and antimatter propulsion. If that break-through is ever achieved there is a good chance it will happen in Huntsville, Alabama.
2nd hand wedding dresses. leather couch for sale. If you want to buy essay we will help.