For all their promise for future space propulsion schemes, plasma drives have had a hard time gaining momentum. A $3.1 million grant aims to change that, giving Australian National University physicists a lift that should help them see their plasma engine all the way to orbit .. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/23/anu_plasma_thruster/ .. aboard a European satellite within two years.
ANU's Plasma Research Lab is turning ten years of research into the Helicon Double Layer Thruster (HDLT), and if they can get it working consistently in the next two years it could head to space in 2013 as part of a collaboration between ANU, Surrey University, and European space/aerospace behemoth EADS-Astrium.
Working plasma drives are sought after for their unparalleled bang-for-buck efficiency. Unlike chemical rockets that require huge amounts of propellant to achieve thrust, plasma engines can produce high exhaust velocities from relatively minuscule amounts of fuel. Researchers think the HDLT could eventually derive a five-hour burn in space from a single gram of propellant--the amount that chemical engines burn in the blink of an eye.
How? Simply put, the HDLT uses a shaped magnetic field to guide and accelerate a superheated gas like Krypton or Xenon (the plasma) to high exhaust velocities, then expel if from a thruster (one of the key challenges here is controlling that plasma without burning up the engine itself). Plasma engines don't generate the kind of explosive acceleration that solid fuel thrusters do, but because of their superior fuel-to-thrust ratios, they can operate for far longer on far less fuel, leaving more room for payloads.
However, plasma drives aren't powerful enough to lift payloads from Earth. So the overarching idea is to place satellites or spacecraft in space on the backs of chemical rockets, then allow plasma drives to take over propulsion once there. Widespread deployment of the technology is still years away, but ANU researchers hope to be using their HDLT to keep a satellite on-station before mid-decade. If they can get that working smoothly, the first deep-space-faring spacecraft propelled by plasma engines may not be too far behind.
ANU Mount Stromlo Observatory to get technology NASA will have to catch up with
"Testing ground set for plasma jar to the stars [...] Australian engineers have their eyes on inter-stellar skies, and are about to test the jet engine that may take them there."
By Jordan Hayne and Narda Gilmore
Posted Thu [Aussi time] at 3:00pm
Photo: The station will be built at Mount Stromlo Observatory. (ABC News: Greg Nelson)
There are hopes new technology obtained by the Australian National University (ANU) will put Australia ahead of the curve when it comes to space communications — even ahead of NASA.
Key points:
* A new station with capabilities to communicate with spacecraft via lasers is announced in Canberra
* NASA is yet to adopt the technology, but it is expected to be a major step for space communications
* Canberra is tipped to play a part in future Moon missions and Mars exploration
The university will soon be responsible for a quantum optical ground station — effectively a sophisticated transmitter that sends data to space with lasers, rather than the traditional radio waves.
The technology is still emerging, but the station would allow much more information to flow between spacecraft and Earth — potentially assisting missions to put humans on the Moon, and on Mars.
The station, which will be at Mount Stromlo in Canberra's west, is the latest in a string of the region's contributions to new frontiers in space.
Francis Bennet, who will lead the project for the ANU, said currently only a small amount of information could be sent between the Earth and spacecraft.
"At the moment a lot of instruments around Earth in orbit, they have to process everything they collect on board, and then transmit back a fraction of that data," Dr Bennet said.
"Who knows what happens with all that data that we have to delete just because we don't have the ability to transmit it.
"This will really put Australia at the forefront of what could be the next space race in terms of data communication." Mick Gentleman with astrophysicists Ed Kruzins and Francis Bennet.
Photo: Dr Francis Bennet (right) said a lot of data collected in space is deleted without analysis. (ABC News: Greg Nelson)
Quantum optical communications technology is considered a major step forward in space communications, but is yet to be fully adopted by NASA.
Dr Bennet said a long-term goal was to create a network of similar stations across Australia and New Zealand, which could then assist missions launched from around the world.
Canberra expected to play a role in moon missions
The new station was funded jointly by the ANU, the CSIRO and the ACT Government, and while a final site at the Mount Stromlo Observatory is yet to be selected, the university plans to begin construction soon.
The CSIRO's Ed Kruzins, who works on the organisation's NASA operations, said the fact Australia was embracing the technology meant it was well placed to assist in future missions.
"The missions to the moon under the lunar gateway activities will come to the ACT anyway through Tidbinbilla and the Deep Space Network," he said.
"That will happen when men and women go back to the Moon.
"Whether it turns into being an optical communications connection is likely, and Australia will be very well placed, particularly the ACT will be well placed in supporting that optical communications backbone."
The ACT's Space Industries Minister Mick Gentleman said the investment could encourage NASA to adopt the technology.
"It's a great opportunity for the ACT to still be at the forefront of space communications, we have a long history of course in space communications in the ACT," he said.
"We're hoping that it'll nudge NASA a little bit to ensure that they can move into this communication space as well."
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