To explore beyond the outer planets and into interstellar space, you would need to traverse vast distances in a reasonable time, which requires tremendous speed. These daunting requirements far exceed the current capabilities of chemical or plasma propulsion systems.
With the help of a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Phase II grant, a Texas A&M-led research team will continue to develop a new type of propulsion system, possibly enabling missions in our lifetime to the nearest stars.
The team, led by Dr. Chris Limbach, has proposed combining a laser beam and a neutral particle beam, using them to push a spacecraft to nearly 10% the speed of light. Unlike either beam alone, the researchers are tailoring the beam parameters to exploit the refraction of light and optical forces to eliminate the spreading or expansion of the beams, which would otherwise decrease thrust and limit the maximum speed. This process, known as self-guiding, enables the beams to propel the spacecraft over millions of kilometers.
Experiments will be conducted at the Aerospace Laboratory for Lasers, Electromagnetics and Optics. At the end of Phase II, the team plans to demonstrate progress toward future implementation of this propulsion technique, including beam source development, an improved understanding of the physics and the completion of modeling tools needed to design a full-scale system.
In addition to Limbach, the team includes Dr. Ken Hara, assistant professor at Stanford University, and Dr. Alexandros Gerakis.
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