Twenty-First Century Space Propulsion Study
Abstract
The contract objective was to monitor the research at the forefront of physics and engineering to discover new space propulsion concepts. The major topics covered were antiproton annihilation propulsion, solar sails, space tethers, microspacecraft, and unconventional propulsion concepts. Nine papers were published on : (1) using light pressure to levitate a communication satellite poleward from its position on the equatorial geosynchronous orbit; (2) a 'polesitter' spacecraft that uses light pressure to hover over the polar regions of the earth; (3) a complete analysis of all the forces on a non-ideal 'grey' solar sail; (4) a new solar sail design with better performance than a standard solar sail; (5) a new tether transportation system called the 'cable catapult'; (6) a thorough analysis of propulsion using negative matter; (7) a review of space warps; and (8,9) two reviews of advanced space propulsion. Also published were issues 8 through 18 of the Mirror Matter newsletter on the science and technology of stored antimatter. Five other reports are included as appendices.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA229279
Entities
People
- R. L. Forward