NE Seminars

Thursday, March 27, 2003

• Terry Kammash, Stephen S. Attwood, Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences
  University of Michigan
• "Advanced Propulsion Systems for Human Space Exploration"
• Abstract:
  
  Human exploration of the solar system and beyond requires a propulsion system with capabilities that far exceed those provided by present-day chemical systems. Rapid transit times are almost imperative in order to minimize exposure to intense galactic radiation,and to prevent severe physical degradation of the crew. Because of the high cost of putting objects in space we focus our attention on potential
  sources that yield large amounts of energy per unit mass.These include nuclear systems that utilize fission,fusion,and antimatter annihilation reactions. We examine several concepts belonging to these categories and evaluate their development in terms of the two important propulsion parameters, namely thrust and specific impulse. We find that several
  schemes,currently under consideration,have the potential of meeting these stringent requirements and can still be developed in the next few decades
  as specified by NASA.

  Return to NE Seminar web page