FAST INTERPLANETARY PROPULSION USING A SPHERICAL TORUS NUCLEAR FUSION REACTOR PROPULSION SYSTEM

LWlkg respect&ely2"s4., Although contestable, it is the A conceptual. vehicle de&n enabling fast outer solar system travel was produced predicated on a. small aspect ratio sphekical torus nuclear fusion reactor. .Analysis revealed that the vehicle could deliver a 108 mt crew habitat payload to Saturn rendezvous 'in 214 days, with an initial mass in low Earth orbit of 2,640 mt. Engineering conceptual design, analysis, and assessment was performed on all major systems including payload, central truss, nuclear fusion reactor, power, magnetic nozzle, fast wave plasma' heating, tankage, startup/re-start fission reactor and battery, refrigeration, communicationS, reaction control, mission design, and space operations. Detailed fusion reactor design analysis included plasma characteristics, power balance/utilization, first wall, toroidal field coils, and heat transfer. judgment of the a&hors and m&y in the field that only a single space propulsion t&hnology exists at this time. that can reasonably be expected to offer this capability: nuclear fusion, &her magnetic or inertial cotimement. Based in part on the results of previous s&lies2,5 of the ,attributes and shortcomings of various classes of reactor 'towards space propulsion, a closed magnetic syskm was chosen for this design concept. The high power density achievable in closed systems, improved confinement, spin polarization of the fuel, density and temperature profile peaking provided a distinct advantage @ their application towards space propulsion. The small aspect ratio spherical torus was chosen to serve as the basis for the vehicle concept.