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news release:
Agreement to
Commercialize Advanced NASA Rocket Concept; Former Astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz
to Lead Effort
Houston, TX, Jan. 23: NASA has signed an agreement with Houston-based Ad Astra
Rocket Co. that paves the way for commercialization of a promising advanced
plasma rocket system that has evolved over the past 25 years.
The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma
Rocket (VASIMR) is a type of propulsion system that produces a plasma exhaust at
temperatures similar to those in the interior of the sun. The system may
generate rocket thrust with performance hundreds of times higher than that of
present chemical rockets. The increased performance could mean dramatic
reductions in fuel requirements. While conventional rocket nozzles would melt
under the extreme temperatures, VASIMR uses magnetic force fields to control and
direct the plasma exhaust jet.
Potential commercial applications for the
technology could include the re- boost of large orbiting platforms, satellite
delivery and repositioning, as well as cargo delivery to the Moon. The
technology also may provide a capability for high-power plasma propulsion for
future interplanetary human and robotic missions.
"This is a propulsion system that is vastly
different from the conventional chemical rockets of today, with the potential
for vastly better results," said Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz, a former astronaut who
spearheaded the development of the technology while with NASA. "The promise this
system holds could dramatically reduce the travel time for interplanetary
missions, cutting trip times to Mars by one half or better."
The technology also may have applications on
Earth in the microelectronics and environmental industries. High power plasma
devices are being studied to process large amounts of radioactive nuclear waste
and to destroy highly toxic chemical and biological waste. Development of
superconducting magnets for VASIMR also could lead to applications in space
radiation shielding, transportation, medicine and energy generation.
"The transfer of this innovative technology to
the private sector will accelerate its development, benefiting everyone," said
Helen Lane, JSC acting manager of technology transfer. "The future exploration
of space depends on cooperative research between private industry and NASA to
advance technology." NASA will collaborate with Ad Astra, continuing some
funding of the project for the next two years, to ensure a smooth transition.
A NASA astronaut and scientist for 25 years and a
veteran of a record seven Space Shuttle flights, Chang-Diaz retired from NASA in
July 2005 to continue work with the development of the VASIMR engine with Ad
Astra Rocket. Chang-Diaz conceived VASIMR in 1979 while at The Charles Stark
Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Mass.
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