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Laser Launch
Laser propulsion is a form of beam-powered propulsion where the energy source is a remote (usually ground-based) laser system and separate from the reaction mass. This form of propulsion differs from a conventional chemical rocket where both energy and reaction mass come from the solid or liquid propellants carried on board the vehicle. History The basic concepts underlying a photon-propelled "sail" propulsion system were developed by Eugene Sanger and the Hungarian physicist György Marx. Propulsion concepts using laser-energized rockets were developed in the 1970s by Arthur Kantrowitz and Wolfgang Moekel, with a variant using laser ablation pioneered by Leik Myrabo.Myrabo, L.N. 1976MHD propulsion by absorption of laser radiation" ''Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets", Vol. 13, 8, pp. 466–472. doi 10.2514/3.27919 An exposition of Kantrowitz's laser propulsion ideas was published in 1988. Laser propulsion systems may transfer momentum to a spacecraft in two different ways. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beam-powered Propulsion
Beam-powered propulsion, also known as directed energy propulsion, is a class of aircraft or spacecraft propulsion that uses energy beamed to the spacecraft from a remote power plant to provide energy. The beam is typically either a microwave or a laser beam and it is either pulsed or continuous. A continuous beam lends itself to thermal rockets, photonic thrusters and light sails, whereas a pulsed beam lends itself to ablative thrusters and pulse detonation engines. The rule of thumb that is usually quoted is that it takes a megawatt of power beamed to a vehicle per kg of payload while it is being accelerated to permit it to reach low earth orbit. Other than launching to orbit, applications for moving around the world quickly have also been proposed. Background Rockets are momentum machines; they use mass ejected from the rocket to provide momentum to the rocket. Momentum is the product of mass and velocity, so rockets generally attempt to put as much velocity into their worki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
