AIMStar was a proposed
antimatter-catalyzed nuclear pulse propulsion
Antimatter-catalyzed nuclear pulse propulsion (also antiproton-catalyzed nuclear pulse propulsion) is a variation of nuclear pulse propulsion based upon the injection of antimatter into a mass of nuclear fuel to initiate a nuclear chain reaction f ...
craft that uses clouds of
antiproton
The antiproton, , (pronounced ''p-bar'') is the antiparticle of the proton. Antiprotons are stable, but they are typically short-lived, since any collision with a proton will cause both particles to be annihilated in a burst of energy.
The exis ...
s to initiate fission and fusion within fuel pellets. A
magnetic nozzle A magnetic nozzle is a convergent-divergent magnetic field that guides, expands and accelerates a plasma jet into vacuum for the purpose of space propulsion. The magnetic field in a magnetic nozzle plays a similar role to the convergent-divergent ...
derives motive force from the resulting explosions. The design was studied during the 1990s by
Penn State University. The craft was designed to reach a distance on the order of 10,000
AU from the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
, with a travel time of 50 years, and a
coasting velocity of approximately 960 km/s after the boost phase (roughly 1/300th of the
speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, commonly denoted , is a universal physical constant that is important in many areas of physics. The speed of light is exactly equal to ). According to the special theory of relativity, is the upper limit ...
). The probe would be able to study the interstellar medium as well as reach Alpha Centauri. The project would require more antimatter than we are capable of producing. In addition, some technical hurdles need to be surpassed before it would be feasible.
[Antimatter Production for Near-term Propulsion Applications ]
See also
*
ICAN-II - A similar concept that uses less antimatter but more fission propellant
*
Nuclear pulse propulsion
Nuclear pulse propulsion or external pulsed plasma propulsion is a hypothetical method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. It originated as Project ''Orion'' with support from DARPA, after a suggestion by Stanislaw ...
References
External links
Antimatter (PSU)
Alpha Centauri
Cancelled spacecraft
Nuclear spacecraft propulsion
Interstellar travel
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