I hope you all had the opportunity to watch Artemis II launch yesterday. If not, the video below starts about 30 seconds before the launch and runs for just over 10 minutes. There was a slight problem with the Orion capsule's toilet, which has been resolved, but it appears that the mission is otherwise going well.
On a related note, The Debrief reports on the "'First Plasma' Achieved in the Race for a Propulsion System that Could Cut the Travel Time to Mars in Half." From the lede:
“First plasma” has been achieved by Pulsar Fusion’s Sunbird exhaust test system, marking a major step toward developing a direct fusion drive spacecraft capable of speeds far in excess of present chemical rocket technology.
The public test occurred during Amazon’s MARS (Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space) conference on March 23, demonstrating successful plasma control, which will be essential to the safe operation of a direct fusion drive spacecraft. As commercial space flights take on a greater portion of cosmic travel, the direct fusion drive featured in Pulsar Fusion’s upcoming Sunbird Migratory Transfer Vehicle could be the next essential technology.
[snip]
“The baseline approach is a Deuterium / Helium-3 fuel cycle. While Helium-3 is not currently abundant and would require breeding or alternative sourcing, the trade-off is compelling, significantly higher efficiency, and the potential to displace vast quantities of chemical propellant,” [Pulsar Fusion CEO] Dinan told The Debrief.
Fortunately there is a lot of Helium-3 on the Moon, which probably explains Elon Musk's interest in building an settlement on the lunar surface.
VIDEO: "FULL VIDEO: Watch launch of Artemis II"
FOX 26 Houston (10 min.)
And since Helion has a head start (Malaga, Washington power plant supposed to be online by end of 2028), it's just a question of who buys the moon helium first.
ReplyDeleteI still find it darkly funny that when the NASA engineers suggested this type of fusion rocket, they were fast-tracked to retirement, but when the private, British engineers suggested copying them, the investment money flowed in.
It all comes down to who you know. I think that in the UK, because of the smaller population, it is actually easier for an exceptional person to stand out whereas exceptional people just get lost in a population of 330 million.
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