Lunar Tug Using Plasma Rocket

An unmanned cargo capability based on VASIMR propulsion offers significant cost savings to NASA and commercial lunar exploration programs. VASIMR can deliver twice as much payload to the lunar surface, compared to chemical propulsion, if used as a 'tug boat' between Low Earth Orbit and Low Lunar Orbit. At the present, chemical propulsion always has to be used to climb out of Earth's atmosphere and into a Low Earth Orbit, in addition to the final lunar landing descent.

Beyond VX-200 (VASIMR Experimental, 200 kW) and VF-200 (VASIMR Flight, 200 kW) demonstrations, the Ad Astra Rocket Company plans to fill a developing high power transportation niche near Earth for orbit maintenance of large space structures for commerce and tourism and satellite repositioning, retrieval and re supply. Longer term applications for which VASIMR may be ideally suited include: the delivery of large payloads to the lunar surface, recovery of space resources from asteroids and comets and propelling cargo and human missions to Mars and beyond.

More at:
www.AdAstraRocket.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_specific_impulse_magnetoplasma_rocket
www.plasmaben.com/VASIMR

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• VASIMR
• lunar
• tug
• taxi
• space
• iss
• station
• nasa
• ion
• thruster
• plasma
• rocket
• technology
• xenon
• argon
• electron
• ionized
• gas
• franklin
• chang
• diaz
• houston
• costa
• rica
• liberia
• guanacaste
• Earth
• university
• variable
• specific
• impulse
• magnetoplasma
• mpd
• engine
• hall
• propulsion

[jkjambsj]

Not sure if it's the video or my browser or my drivers but I ain't gettin no soundtrack with this one :(

[benwl]

It's not you, the video does not have an audio track. Typically one of the scientists gives a voice over when we present it to people that visit our lab.

[hookah604]

what is the actual earth-moon travel time with this concept?

[benwl]

This particular mission uses 2x 1MW solar panels and can deliver twice as much payload to the lunar surface compared to chemical propulsion end-to-end. The trade-off is a 6 month travel (spiral out) time with VASIMR vs. several days with chemical. Obviously this particular design is only for cargo because 6 months is too long for humans to stay in the radiation belts.

[ychris25]

great vid. a little music wouldnt hurt :)

[SeedLover101]

seriously, who cares who owns the designs, just let this design work efficently and promote other designs

[TreAldMatVideo]

Created to many space junk in one lunch. If 100 lunch space junk it created be come Earth ring junk .

[nosuchthingasshould]

too complex, too long travel time too many things to go wrong and too much time for them to go wrong in. more of smaller launches of mass produced simple boosters with an in orbit assembly (perhaps some real use to be had of the ISS) makes far more sense. Your propulsion makes sense only for long range missions, using moon trip to just try it out would be wastefull.

[hellen1315]

cuando veo ese video me siento tan orgullosa de nuestra gente ,gracias franklin por permitirnos poder soñar y saber que si se quiere se puede felicidades y muchos exitos en tu vida

[Shadowsnshades]

What kind of fuel is used for the transfer?

[tomyloveu]

what a useless time no sound...

[exionem]

Wow... quien iba a decir que a 45 minutos de una de mis playas favoritas se está construyendo en el AD ASTRA ROCKET el VASIMIR.

Si esta tecnología resulta ser un éxito la historia del hombre cambiaría... dominaríamos el sistema solar y quién sabe si más allá...

Quien iba a pensarlo... mi pequeña Costa Rica a punto de hacer historia y cambir la humanidad...

[Cosmored]

This is a little off-topic but-

The Apollo moon missions were faked in a studio. To see a partial summary of hoax evidence, google "The Naked Scientists". In the "New Theories" section of the forum there's a thread entitled "Did We Land on the Moon?". The summary is on page 15 of the thread. It's the 7th post from the top.

Also, do a YouTube search on "MarsFaker".

[lkrrkl]

The VASMR will be the first project on the participating Costa Rica with name and titles. Thanks to the company Ad Astra Rocket Company in the same country. It is the pioneer in plasma thrusters and the only one that is developing. With headquarters in Liberia, Costa Rica, and Texas, U.S..

Franklin Chang-Diaz, scientists, engineers and exastronauta seven flights of the company's founder and leader of the investigation.

[rmascrac]

nice video and concept

[Blackberrypipe]

I want to fly there..