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Possibilities for Traveling to Mars

Possibilities for Traveling to Mars. Charles C. Renn. Topics of Interest. Solar Sails Plasma Sails Laser Lightcraft. Solar Sails: History. - 1600’s Johannes Kelper 1920’s Russian scientists - 1958 1 st scientific paper (Garwin, Defense Department consultant with IBM)

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Possibilities for Traveling to Mars

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  1. Possibilities for Traveling to Mars Charles C. Renn

  2. Topics of Interest • Solar Sails • Plasma Sails • Laser Lightcraft

  3. Solar Sails: History - 1600’s Johannes Kelper • 1920’s Russian scientists - 1958 1st scientific paper (Garwin, Defense Department consultant with IBM) • 1960 1st Master Thesis (Villers, MIT) & 1st class offered @ UCLA • 1978 NASA proposal for a rendezvous with Halley’s comet

  4. How Does It Work? • general concepts of photons transferring momentum • S.S. is launched (Volna) into space and deploys highly reflective sails • Sails reflect photons from sunlight, gradually accelerating sails (NOT FROM SOLAR WINDS) • F(sunlight) = 1e3 to 1e5 * F(solar wind) • Individual blades rotate to change velocity

  5. Materials • Cosmos-1 (launch early ’04, funded by The Planetary Society and Cosmos Studios) • 5-micron thin aluminized Mylar • 8 -15m blades, total area = 600m^2 • Solar powered electronics - GPS, cameras, sun sensors

  6. Uses • Mars Transportation? – one way trip = 400 days, slow increasing acceleration • Advantages – rendezvous with comets, provide roundtrip transportation of heavy payloads with ease • Ideal for large masses over great distances • Interstellar Travel? – lasers instead of photons • Cosmos-1 animation

  7. Plasma Sails Concept • Use of magnetosphere to reflect solar wind to apply force to space craft,. Ex heliopause & interstellar medium • Magnetic cloud to be 15-20 km radius (similar to ion gyro-radius) • Accelerate 70-140 kg payload to 50-80 km/s

  8. Components • magnetic field on spacecraft ~ 700G • Plasma injected from spacecraft to inflate magnetic field • Power source to power magnetic field and plasma

  9. Plasma Pressure • Helium or Argon heated by power source, becomes plasma • Injected into magnetic field supported by solenoid coils on spacecraft • Pressure causes both the plasma and magnetic field to expand • Potentially expands to needed 15- 20 km

  10. Uses • Mars – possibility once technology develops, provide low cost to Mars orbital • Heliosphere – analyze interactions with the interstellar medium (10 - yr trip)

  11. Laser Lightcraft: History • 1970’s US Missile Defense System – used high powered lasers • 1987 Myrabo develops 1st lightcraft • 1997 1st successful flight with no onboard engine • 2000 lightcraft flies 233ft

  12. How It Works • Carbon dioxide laser – ground based laser, rapidly pulsed, creating thrust • Parabolic mirror – focuses beam into ring shaped absorption chamber - (heats air to 5 times T(sun)) • Absorption chamber – inlet air directed to chamber, air then heated by beam, expands, propels lightcraft • Onboard Hydrogen – used when atm. is too thin to provide enough air • Lightcraft stabilizes by spinning rapidly. • Ex - similar to how a football spins rapidly when thrown with accuracy

  13. Material • the model – aircraft-grade aluminum • Full size – silicon carbide

  14. Uses • Mars – possibility • Satellite launch services • Parcel delivery • Advantages - high thrust, simplicity, reliability (few moving parts) • Limits – power available, absorption/distortion through atm.

  15. Conclusion • Technology • Funding • Creativity

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