Related papers: Deuterium microbomb rocket propulsion
The multiple spacecraft guidance problem for proximity flight in libration point orbit is considered. A nonlinear optimal control problem with continuous-time path constraints enforcing minimum separation between each spacecraft is…
Fast ignition is an alternative concept of laser fusion in which the task of compressing the fusion pellet to supersolid densities is accomplished by the conventional high energy nanosecond glass lasers and the task of igniting the…
Galactic destruction of primordial deuterium is inevitably linked through star formation to the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The relatively high present gas content and low metallicity suggest only modest D-destruction. In concert with…
Performing orbital insertion around Mars using aerocapture instead of a propulsive orbit insertion manoeuvre allows to save resources and/or increase the payload mass fraction. Aerocapture has never been employed to date because of the high…
The authors report on the use of carbon nanofiber nanoemitters to ionize deuterium atoms for the generation of neutrons in a deuterium-deuterium reaction in a preloaded target. Acceleration voltages in the range of 50-80 kV are used. Field…
Planet 9 is an hypothetical object in the outer Solar system, which is as yet undiscovered. It has been speculated that it may be a terrestrial planet or gas/ice giant, or perhaps even a primordial black hole (or dark matter condensate).…
Radiation transport plays a crucial role in star formation models, as certain questions within this field cannot be accurately addressed without taking it into account. Given the high complexity of the interstellar medium from which stars…
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have emerged as a promising solution to transform urban transportation. They present a few technical challenges for battery management, a prominent one of which is the prediction of…
Space debris, also known as "space junk," presents a significant challenge for all space exploration activities, including those involving human-onboard spacecraft such as SpaceX's Crew Dragon and the International Space Station. The amount…
This paper presents innovative solutions to critical challenges in planetary and deep-space exploration electronics. We synthesize findings across diverse mission profiles, highlighting advances in: (1) MARTIAN positioning systems with…
A novel capsule target design to improve the hot-spot pressure in the high-adiabat implosion for inertial confinement fusion is proposed, where a layer of comparatively high-density material is used as a pusher between the fuel and the…
Various theoretical obstacles are associated with a homogeneous and isotropic distribution of ``charge'' which is subject to a repulsive, long-range force. We show how these can be overcome, for all practical purposes, by the simple device…
Only three processes, operant during the formation of the Solar System, are responsible for the diversity of matter in the Solar System and are directly responsible for planetary internal-structures, including planetocentric nuclear fission…
The two-boost problem in space mission design asks whether two points of position space can be connected by a Hamiltonian path on a fixed energy level set. We provide a positive answer for a class of systems having the same behaviour at…
We simulate fusion in a Z-pinch; where the load is a xenon-plasma liner imploding onto a deuterium-tritium plasma target and the driver is a 2 MJ, 17 MA, 95 ns risetime pulser. The implosion system is modeled using the dynamic, 2-1/2 D,…
Strong interactions between jets and stellar winds at binary system spatial scales could occur in high-mass microquasars. We study here, mainly from a dynamical but also a radiative point of view, the collision between a dense stellar wind…
We report here on initial studies of a pulsed hydromagnetic plasma gun that can operate in either a pre-filled or a gas-puff mode on demand. These modes enable agile and responsive performance through tunable thrust and specific impulse.…
The physical mechanism that allows massive stars to form is a major unsolved problem in astrophysics. Stars with masses $\gtsim 20$ $\msun$ reach the main sequence while still embedded in their natal clouds, and the immense radiation output…
Positron creation and acceleration is one of the major challenges for constructing future lepton colliders. On the one hand, conventional technology can provide a solution, but at a prohibitive cost and scale. On the other hand,…
Small (sub)-micron dust is present over the entire lifetime of protoplanetary disks. As aggregation readily depletes small particles, one explanation might be that dust is continuously generated by larger bodies in the midplane and…