The hydrogen-collecting device
” The idea is certainly worth examining,” states Prof. Peter Schattschneider. “In interstellar space, there is extremely watered down gas, primarily hydrogen– about one atom per cubic centimeter. If you were to gather the hydrogen in front of the spacecraft, like in a magnetic funnel, with the help of huge electromagnetic fields, you might use it to run a blend reactor and speed up the spacecraft.” In 1960, Robert Bussard released a clinical paper about this. 9 years later on, such an electromagnetic field was described theoretically for the very first time. “Since then, the concept has not only excited sci-fi fans, however has also created a great deal of interest in the clinical and technical astronautics community,” says Peter Schattschneider.
Software application established at TU Wien as part of a research study job for calculating electro-magnetic fields in electron microscopy all of a sudden turned out to be very useful: the physicists were able to use it to reveal that the basic concept of magnetic particle trapping really works. Particles can be gathered in the proposed magnetic field and directed into a blend reactor.
Big measurements
Nevertheless, when the size of the magnetic funnel is calculated, hopes of a see to our stellar neighbors rapidly fade. To accomplish a thrust of 10 million newtons– equivalent to twice the primary propulsion of the Space Shuttle– the funnel would have to have a size of almost 4000 kilometers. A technically advanced civilization might be able to develop something like that, but the real issue is the needed length of the magnetic fields: The funnel would have to be about 150 million kilometers long– thats the range between the earth and the sun.
So after half a century of wish for interstellar travel in the far-off future, it is now obvious that the ramjet drive, while an intriguing concept, will remain simply part of science fiction. We will have to come up with something else if we desire to visit our cosmic neighbors one day.
Recommendation: “The Fishback ramjet revisited” by Peter Schattschneider and Albert A. Jackson, 15 November 2021, Acta Astronautica.DOI: 10.1016/ j.actaastro.2021.10.039.
In science fiction stories about contact with extraterrestrial civilizations, there is a problem: What kind of propulsion system could make it possible to bridge the huge ranges in between the stars? Many more or less speculative ideas about this have actually been put forward– one of them is the “Bussard collector” or “Ramjet propulsion”. The outcome is sadly disappointing for fans of interstellar travel: it can not work the method Robert Bussard, the innovator of this propulsion system, believed it up in 1960. Software developed at TU Wien as part of a research study project for calculating electro-magnetic fields in electron microscopy all of a sudden turned out to be extremely practical: the physicists were able to use it to show that the fundamental principle of magnetic particle trapping really works. To attain a thrust of 10 million newtons– comparable to twice the primary propulsion of the Space Shuttle– the funnel would have to have a size of almost 4000 kilometers.
Artists impression of the Ramjet propulsion system. Credit: NASA
Because the 1960s, there has actually been speculation about a hypothetical propulsion technique for interstellar area travel. Estimations at TU Wien (Vienna) program: it will remain science fiction.
In sci-fi stories about contact with extraterrestrial civilizations, there is a problem: What type of propulsion system could make it possible to bridge the huge distances between the stars? It can not be done with regular rockets like those used to travel to the moon or Mars. Much more or less speculative concepts about this have been advanced– one of them is the “Bussard collector” or “Ramjet propulsion”. It involves catching protons in interstellar space and then using them for a nuclear combination reactor.
Peter Schattschneider, physicist and sci-fi author, has now analyzed this principle in more information together with his associate Albert Jackson from the USA. The outcome is regrettably frustrating for fans of interstellar travel: it can not work the method Robert Bussard, the creator of this propulsion system, believed it up in 1960. The analysis has actually now been published in the scientific journal Acta Astronautica.
