Plasma Propulsion
Spacecraft propulsion that uses accelerated plasma as a reaction mass. Includes Hall thrusters, ion thrusters, and FRC-based concepts like the MSNW ELF thruster.
Verified Primary Sources
- → LANL FissionPlasmaPropulsion 1995 (p. 1) — 1995 — Los Alamos National Laboratory
- → NASA EPPP Propulsion 1999 (p. 1) — 1999 — National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- → NASA EPPP Propulsion 1999 (p. 3) — 1999 — National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- → NASA MHDEnergyBypassTurbojet 2010 (p. 6) — 2010 — National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- → LANL Fusion Capabilities Presentation 2020 (p. 4) — 2020 — Los Alamos National Laboratory
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Timeline Mentions (8)
Project Sherwood established
The U.S. AEC's classified controlled-fusion program begins at LANL and partner labs.
Christofilos begins Astron experiment at LLNL
Greek engineer starts E-layer field reversal concept. Earliest compact torus conception. Presented at 1958 Geneva.
Christofilos Astron experiment at LLNL
The Astron experiment established the field-reversed configuration geometry that prefigured modern FRC research.
First Formal Documentation of FRC Topology
H.A.B. Bodin publishes a paper in Nuclear Fusion describing 'reversed field loops' within a theta-pinch, providing physical evidence of the FRC state.
Project ORION Terminated
Project ORION is terminated primarily for political reasons, ending early research into external pulsed plasma propulsion despite promising technical results.
Inertial-Confinement Flux-Trapping Model Proposed
T.S. Green and A.A. Newton propose that magnetic flux is lost via rapid convection at the radial Alfvén speed, a foundational theory for FRC formation.
Discovery of FRC Anomalous Stability
Experiments at LANL discover that Field-Reversed Configurations (FRCs) are significantly more stable than predicted by MHD theory.
Astron experiment funding cancelled at LLNL
16-year project ends without achieving field reversal. Compact torus concept disperses to spheromak and FRC research.