For now, fusion is still just a dream. But one day we will have it and it could run spaceships making the Solar system much “smaller”.
Image by Peter Fischer from Pixabay
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When it comes to fusion energy, sadly the phrase that fusion energy is just 10 years away is still true. But, if one day we could finally get this technology going, perhaps even in our lifetimes, we could not only use fusion to generate energy for our civilization but we could also for many super interesting applications.
One of these practical applications is being intensively worked on by a team in the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) led by Samuel Cohen. This application is an engine for spaceships with uses Direct Fusion Drive (DFD). If their research and development will be successful then it could become the primary engine for interplanetary probes and spaceships. Such a drive would allow us to fly to Saturn’s moon Titan in less than two years.
This is more than tempting. Titan is the frozen gem of our Solar system. Who wouldn’t want to see a moon cover by a thick yellow atmosphere filled with organic matter? And we do have plenty of similar interesting objects in our Solar system. But of course, there is a catch. Even though we have put a titanic amount of work into fusion we still haven’t found the recipe to get fusion just right.
Nonetheless, not having working fusion doesn’t seem to be an insurmountable obstacle for the theoretical research of a fusion engine for spaceships. Theoretically, it should use aneutronic fusion – fusion in which the majority of the released energy is in form of electrically charged particles. This kind of fusion is extremely effective at transforming fuel into energy. The fuel for the fusion drive should be deuterium and helium-3. Even with a relatively small amount of fuel, the DFD engine should easily overcome current chemical and electrical engines for spaceships. This is because a fusion drive combines the benefits of the electric drive – its effectiveness with the thrust that is provided by chemical drives.
Another benefit of a fusion drive is that it could also directly provide energy to the onboard systems. Current interplanetary missions have to use a Radioisotope Thermoelectrical Generator (RTG). That means not only would we get there faster but also we would allow probes and spaceships to last longer because they would have enough energy for a very long time.
The only thing we now need to solve is to get fusion right.
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