Posted on

Directed energy propulsion technology for rapid travel to the outer solar system (and the stars)

Artist’s depiction of propulsion concept using Directed Energy. At left, Directed Energy Launch Technology Array (DELTA) beams power to laser powered electrical propulsion (LEP) spacecraft for rapid travel to the outer solar system or for laser sailing to the stars. At right, a sub-module from a close packed array of laser emitters within DELTA. Credits: Todd F. Sheerin / International Astronautical Federation

A concept for fast transit to the outer solar system and beyond has just been published by Todd F. Sheerin et al.* in Acta Astronautica. Since the article is behind a paywall, SSP has obtained permission by one of the coauthors, Professor Philip Lubin at the University of California, Santa Barbara to link to an earlier version of the paper presented at the 70th International Astronautical Congress held in Washington D.C. back in October 2019. Professor Lubin is Director of the Experimental Cosmology Laboratory at UCSB where he oversees research on several interesting directed energy projects.

The concept makes use of an Earth-based Directed Energy Launch Technology Array (DELTA) to beam laser energy to photovoltaic cells on an electric propulsion vehicle for travel within the solar system, or for photon reflection via a laser sail on gram-scale spacecraft accelerated to relativistic speeds for interstellar missions. In the former case, this method leverages existing solar electric propulsion technology which converts optical energy to propulsive jet power like what was used on NASA’s Dawn mission. An existing NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program at UCSB has demonstrated proof of concept for elements of the array.

The DELTA architecture development can be terraced in progressive stages starting with small one meter arrays building up to large 10 km systems. The concept could support a range of missions, from swarms of gram-scale robots all the way up to human-rated spacecraft greater than 100 tons.

The authors believe this approach “… enables a scalable, cost effective roadmap to rapid solar system transportation for robotic and human missions alike, including robotic and human Mars-in-a-Month missions, with transit times of 30 days, as well as the first robotic relativistic interstellar flight within our lifetime.”

* Authors: Todd F. Sheerin, Elaine Petro, Kelley Winters, Paulo Lozano, Philip Lubin

Posted on

NASA investing in nuclear propulsion for Mars missions

Illustration of a nuclear thermal rocket in low earth orbit. Credits: NASA

Two U.S. companies are partnering with NASA to develop new fuel sources and reactor designs for future nuclear-fueled crewed space missions. Nuclear thermal and fusion powered rockets could significantly reduce the travel time to the Red Planet, lowering the risk of radiation exposure and the cost of life support consumables.

In an article in IEEE Spectrum, freelance journalist Prachi Patel describes the challenges of designing space nuclear reactors that are safe and lightweight, which will be needed to propel exploratory missions to Mars. These type of space reactors have the added benefit of being able to switch from propulsion to a power source at their destination.

Seattle based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation has a reactor design that uses a grade of nuclear fuel enriched to less then 20% uranium classifying it below the limit of highly enriched uranium, thus reducing proliferation risks by nefarious actors. The company coats its microscopic uranium fuel pellets with ceramics in a zirconium carbide matrix. This design approach ensures that the fuel can withstand the extremely high temperatures and volatile conditions inside a nuclear thermal reactor.

BWX Technologies Corporation located in Lynchburg, Virginia has extensive space nuclear reactor experience and has been working under contract to NASA since 2017 to explore designs also using a temperature resistant ceramic composite fuel with low enriched (< 20%) uranium.

Both companies may benefit from the recent Trump Administration Space Policy Directive-6 released December 16 which aims to limit the use of highly enriched uranium in space nuclear reactors unless absolutely necessary. The Memorandum on the National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion specifies that “The use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in SNPP [space nuclear power and propulsion] systems should be limited to applications for which the mission would not be viable with other nuclear fuels or non‑nuclear power sources.” Although Space Policy Directives can be negated or modified by new administrations this particular directive should have bipartisan appeal.

The article also mentions the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s Direct Fusion Drive that SSP covered last year. Fusion rockets, although further behind in technology readiness levels, hold promise to outperform fission-based propulsion as fusion reactions release up to four times as much energy.

Posted on

The Space Show fund raising drive

Credits: The Space Show

The Space Show – the nation’s first talk radio show focusing on increasing space commerce, advancing space science and economic development, facilitating our move to a space-faring economy which will benefit everyone on Earth – needs your help. The Space Show is hosted by Dr. David Livingston, who completed his doctoral dissertation in 2001 on the commercialization and expansion of space development. Take a moment to visit The Space Show website and read Dr. Livingston’s end of year message. Please give generously to ensure this valuable resource continues to promote, encourage, and support future global economic opportunities, scientific discoveries, and medical advances for all humankind through peaceful and cooperative ventures in outer space.

Posted on

Book Review: Space is Open for Business by Robert Jacobson

Credits: Robert C. Jacobson

Space is Open for Business by Robert Jacobson is a must-read for all potential “astropreneurs” (entrepreneurs involved the NewSpace economy), space advocates, investors or anyone who wants to keep current on space commerce and its impact on the future of humanity. This book is a refreshingly positive view of our future in space, a welcome alternative outlook in stark contrast to many dystopian and negative predictions of where we’re headed in today’s media.

Jacobson covers all aspects of the nascent space economy which has already begun to grow in leaps and bounds, and is headed for explosive growth in the near future. No stone is left unturned by his deep research of all aspects of space commerce, with scores of interviews of executives from both established and small startup space companies.

I especially liked the Sci-Fi and Society chapter in which Jacobson talks about science fiction “illuminating the possibility of the space frontier”. Much of what is now happening in space was predicted in science fiction in the last century. Many CEOs and executives of NewSpace companies were inspired to pursue careers in science or engineering through science fiction books, televisions shows and movies.

Eventually, humanity will evolve to migrate off Earth and establish space settlements throughout the solar system and eventually among the stars. Development of the technologies and commercial activities for space settlement have the potential to create vast wealth, bring billions of people out of poverty and preserve Earth’s natural environment. Jacobson has provided a hopeful glimpse of how the space businesses supporting this effort will manifest this destiny.

Posted on

ESA’s Biorock experiment demonstrates microbe extraction of rare Earth elements from simulated regolith aboard ISS

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano loads microbes into the Kubik centrifuge facility on the International Space Station. Credits: ESA

A research team at the University of Edinburgh in the UK has just published an analysis of data from an experiment on the International Space Station that could lead to “biomining” on Mars or an asteroid. Published in Nature Communications on November 10, Cockell, C.S., Santomartino, R., Finster, K. et al.* present experimental results demonstrating microbiological leaching of rare Earth elements from basalt rock, an analogue for much of the regolith material on the Moon and Mars. Called BioRock, the ESA sponsored experiment examined three species of microorganisms under variable gravity conditions in the Kubik centrifuge facility located in Europe’s Columbus module on the ISS.

This technology is a significant breakthrough for in situ resource utilization. By “living off the land” on the Moon, Mars or an asteroid, space settlers could have an available source of valuable materials used in electronic devices and many other high-technology applications. These rare Earth elements and the traditional heavy mining equipment needed to extract them would not have to be launched from Earth, significantly reducing transportation and processing costs. Positive results were found under Earth gravity, Mars gravity and microgravity conditions. The authors conclude that the experiment “…shows the efficacy of microbe–mineral interactions for advancing the establishment of a self-sustaining permanent human presence beyond the Earth and the technical means to do that.”

* BioRock study Authors: Charles S. Cockell, Rosa Santomartino, Kai Finster, Annemiek C. Waajen, Lorna J. Eades, Ralf Moeller, Petra Rettberg, Felix M. Fuchs, Rob Van Houdt, Natalie Leys, Ilse Coninx, Jason Hatton, Luca Parmitano, Jutta Krause, Andrea Koehler, Nicol Caplin, Lobke Zuijderduijn, Alessandro Mariani, Stefano S. Pellari, Fabrizio Carubia, Giacomo Luciani, Michele Balsamo, Valfredo Zolesi, Natasha Nicholson, Claire-Marie Loudon, Jeannine Doswald-Winkler, Magdalena Herová, Bernd Rattenbacher, Jennifer Wadsworth, R. Craig Everroad & René Demets 

Posted on

An interdisciplinary approach to shaping our space future

Artist’s rendering of settlements on the Moon. Credits: Taylor Herring/Samsung via Futurism.com

A melding of multiple disciplines is required for creating a positive human space future that will enable space settlement. In addition to aerospace engineering, architecture and the traditional physical sciences we associate with space exploration, the fields of sociology, philosophy, art, space law and may others will be needed. A method for integrating these fields and coordinating them across the private sector, universities and government has been developed in The Interplanetary Initiative, a pan-university venture created at Arizona State University. The innovative research model is described in a paper in the September 2020 issue of New Space. The program turns students into team leaders and collaborators, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to solve problems anticipated to be encountered as humans expand out into the solar system.

Posted on

What will it take to become a spacefaring civilization?

Artist’s concept of an O’Neill space colony. Credit: Rachel Silverman / Blue Origin

J. N. Nielsen has a theory…or four. Picking up where he left off in his previous Bound in the Shallows post on Centauri Dreams about the origins of a spacefaring civilization, Nielsen explores the possibility that the nuclear rocket or fusion power may be the indispensable transformative technology that will enable breakout of a spacefaring future. But even if we develop the capability of nuclear propulsion, it may not be sufficient. We need a “mythology” to enable humanity’s next central project. As Nielson defines it, a mythology “… is a kind of recapitulation in which the contributions of ages past—whether biological, psychological, social, or cultural—are each given their due, and these antecedents serve as a springboard to something authentically novel, something unprecedented that facilitates human beings to transcend their past and to accomplish something unprecedented.”

As happens every time, whenever I dig into Nielson’s rich writings I loose myself in a beautiful philosophical landscape of culture. Give yourself some time to ponder and absorb these insightful hypotheses on what is needed to settle the solar system and beyond…and visit his Grand Strategy: View from Oregon site for more politics, economics, warfare, religion, and philosophy with a focus on civilization which often leads to consideration of the future and space exploration.

Posted on

2020 NIAC Symposium showcases cutting edge technology for space development

Illustration of SPEAR (Swarm Probe Enabling ATEG Reactor), an affordable nuclear electric propulsion spacecraft using a custom designed fission reactor. Credits: Troy Howe, Howe Industries LLC

The 2020 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium just rapped up it’s virtual event. The NAIC Program supports early studies of visionary concepts in space and aeronautics that develop and assess revolutionary, yet credible, aerospace architecture, mission, and system concepts. These studies showcase ideas that will enable far-term capabilities, and spawn exciting innovations to radically improve aerospace exploration, science, and operations.

There were a wealth of new ideas presented at this year’s meeting with Phase I, II, and III posters and presentations available as PDFs on the NAIC Symposium website. To give you a taste, above is an illustration of Howe Industries’ Phase II concept for a small, affordable nuclear electric propulsion spacecraft using a custom designed fission reactor with advanced thermoelectric generators (ATEGs). The innovative design would allow private entities, universities, or other interested parties to carry out missions across the solar system at relatively low cost.

Another favorite of ours was Trans Astronautica’s Mini Bee asteroid capture concept in which they will deploy, then chase down and “swallow” a test object in LEO as a precursor to an asteroid mining mission.

Illustration of Trans Astronautica Corporation’s Mini Bee spacecraft chasing down and capturing an artificial asteroid in LEO. Credits: Joel Sercel / Trans Astronautica Corporation

Some of these NIAC grants have already been covered by SSP such as Phil Metzger’s Aqua Factorem lunar water harvesting process, Masten’s instant lunar landing pad and Trans Astronautica Corporation’s Lunar Polar Propellant Mining Outpost.

We leave you with JPL’s Enceladus Vent Explorer

Illustration of Enceladus Vent Explorer concept. Credits: Masahiro (Hiro) Ono / Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Posted on

Rapid bootstrapping for faster ignition of off-Earth industry development

Artist’s concept of an O’Neill space colony. Credits: Blue Origin

In a thread on Twitter Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida, updates his bootstrapping vision from a few years back in which he and colleagues at NASA published a paper on how robotics, 3D printing and in situ resource utilization could be leveraged to accelerate a solar system civilization. In a series of 9 Tweets, Metzger makes the case for his “Rapid Bootstrapping Scenario” as the preferred course out of three possible alternatives to get us there faster.

Many space enthusiasts, including Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos, advocate for what Metzger calls a solar system “Civilization Fully Revolutionized”. This is a future where most industrial manufacturing is done sustainably in space and Earth is preserved as a beautiful natural environment.

If we continue on the current path, down what Metzger calls “The Slow Growth Scenario”, space agencies like NASA will continue paving the technological highway for private entities to slowly develop their profitable enterprises. But because space exploration and development is difficult, a different approach is needed to prime the pump. Metzger suggests the preferred course of action is intentional pre-economic bootstrapping in which “…visionary individuals with means, citizen-led movements, or governments that see the long-term benefit of getting beyond our planetary limit…create a coalition of likeminded citizen movements and enlightened governments committed to a good future so we reach the ‘ignition’ point first by being fast”.

Source: Philip Metzger/UCF. @DrPhiltill. www.philipmetzger.com
Posted on

When will the first human be born off Earth?

Space baby. Credits: scienceabc.com

One of the biggest challenges of space settlement facing humanity is procreation off world. We simply don’t know if its possible for a baby to be carried to term in less then one gravity. There are obvious ethical considerations of simply going there and trying it out. NASA is studying the problem but until we have a variable gravity centrifuge facility in space that will enable us to determine the “gravity prescription”, it will be a while before we have an answer.

In an article in The Space Review, Fred Nadis discusses some of the medical challenges of human reproduction in space and why one company, SpaceLife Origin, who’s mission was to enable human reproduction in space decided to suspend its planned missions for “Serious ethical, safety and medical concerns …”

These medical unknowns about reproduction in any gravitational field less then 1g is the obvious attraction of O’Neill type free space settlements which provide Earth normal gravity. But the huge scale and investment necessary to build such large scale settlements puts this approach far in the future. Al Globus thinks a better way might be to start with smaller spinning habitats in low earth orbit.

Asgardia’s has a key scientific goal of facilitating the first human childbirth in space which they believe is a crucial step on humanity’s “path to immortality as a species”. In preparation for that goal, the organization is creating the first sovereign nation in space. A good introduction to their plans can be found in an interview with Dr. Lena De Winne, the Head of Administration to the Head of Nation of Asgardia, who appeared on the Space Show recently.

Artist’s impression of the first human born in space. Credits: Asgardia