This week's research has turned up this detailed presentation on the Japanese Hayabusa Mission to asteroid Itokawa: COSPAR Capacity Building Workshop on...
Yes I have said the same thing, but she does not want to listen. As long as we are talking about using rockets two LEO there are two ways to cut the cost. Make...
(This is a resend of an exchange between Frank and myself, that didn't make it to the NEAmines group because Frank had I think inadvertently addressed it to...
This is a current draft on a typical shape and layout of a typical MET thruster based on the following descriptions: NASA Technical Memorandum 102321 ...
In order of preference: Electro magnetic lift, very hot MET, or some other very Hi specific impulse engine. Even rocket fuel and oxygen is better than...
Jan, Thanks a lot for your regular research on all these aspects. MET's are indeed a critical technology for us. And it's good to know that things are...
Okay Jim, I understand electromagnetic lift. It's a familiar concept. Are you aware of any space tether that has actually been successfully used for increasing...
Yes, Ueli, from what I can gather trawling the documents, the magnetic pinch does increase nozzle velocities, therefore more fuel efficient. I would also judge...
Just another thought, Ueli................ when you mentioned a scaleable design for METs, I thought back to your mantra of modularity, granularity &c, and so...
I have heard about some places where electromagnetic breaking has been used. I do not know where but I believe they have done at least one electromagnetic...
Okay Jim, Got you: Tether as a "net-band". All right, I think we've already put tethers down as an alternative for upper stages. The stuff that needs to be...
Okay Jim, Got you: Tether as a "net-band". All right, I think we've already put tethers down as an alternative for upper stages. The stuff that needs to be...
Using this opportunity to design the microwave electrothermal "steamer" thruster into the High Frontier simulation. I agree with Jan that plasma temperatures...
Many thanks for that extra detailed information, Phil. I was particularly interested in the hydrox recombination in the nozzle, Very finely tuned then. Ueli...
Low power METs could work for RCS. But for the main engines the critical factor is power.? This determines your acceleration, how big an asteroid you can...
A tether is not a mission critical technology, but can save in order of of magnitude. Well worth the attempt.  Catching the end of the tether is not...
Good points, Phil. Our understanding was that METs are in the highest specific impulse ballpark, compared to other fuels, but most crucially the fuel (water)...
Thanks Phil for shedding more light on the whole MET issues. Trying to understand the implications.... Just a fast one: a) What does RCS stand for? b) "Really...
Three more for the bookshelf: A trilogy: FORTY SIGNS OF RAIN Kim Stanley Robinson 2004 Harper Collins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Signs_of_Rain ...
RCS = reaction control system, i.e., orienting the spacecraft. Agreed that economics will often dictate faster or more often than Hohmann transfers. So lo...
There is a low acceleration penalty, but not that bad. The path it will take is a stretched out Hohmannn path than starts before the high acceleration one. The...
A modification of the MET would have the power and beam be external. This could even be one way to get to LEO using much less reaction mass and be much more...
Another thing: Putting industry on the Moon may be rather dumb. Even mining the Moon may be dumb, when compared to NEAs better placed in terms of required...
Boyd, If I recall correctly, Helium 3 is on the Moon because of eons of solar wind on the lunar surface? If that is true, the same would apply to asteroids...
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