A novel fusion approach to space power and propulsion

A novel fusion scheme that combines the favorable aspects of magnetic and inertial fusion is examined as a potential advanced propulsion scheme that might be utilized for deep space missions and interplanetary travel in the early part of the next century. It makes use of the energy generated by a hot fusion plasma located inside a spherical metallic shell created by ablation of the target inner surface by a laser beam that enters the pellet through a hole. For a deuterium-tritium plasma that is allowed to expand adiabatically at the end of the burn into an expansion chamber and then exhaust through a magnetic nozzle, it is shown that specific impulses exceeding 10/sup 4/ and jet powers in the tens of megawatts can be achieved at modest laser input energies of tens of kilojoules. It is shown that such a propulsion system, when applied to a rocket vehicle with dry mass of several hundred metric tons, allows a round trip to Mars to be undertaken in less than two months.<
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