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This Defense Intelligence Reference Document, dated 1 November 2010, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency under its Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications (AAWSA) Program. It surveys propulsion technologies that include chemical, ion, and nuclear fission rockets, fusion schemes, aneutronic fusion, and antimatter propulsion. It also covers radiation shielding and speculates on research needs over the next 30 years for missions from low Earth orbit to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Alpha Centauri. The document concludes that aneutronic fusion promises to be an important mechanism for future space propulsion.
“Low Earth orbit”6 pages
UNCLASSIFIED//F8A 8FFIQIIP 1!55 0111 Y Chapter 6: Speculation on Research Needs Over the Next 30 Years What are the technological needs in space propulsion over the next 30 years (and beyond)? In 1961, Arthur C. Clarke observed, "The short-lived Uranium Age will see the dawn of space flight; the succeeding era of fusion power will witness its fulfillment." 18 Although the dawn of the uranium age occurred in the middle of the twentieth century, spaceflight is still in its infancy. Early pioneers envisioning the technology that could propel humankind to the stars included the Austrian engineer Eugen Sanger, who in 1953 proposed the use of antimatter annihilation to generate photons for the creation of rockets that could approach the speed of light. 19, 20 The propulsion technology chosen for space exploration depends very much upon the mission. For example, flight from the surface to low-Earth orbit requires considerable energy to break free of the Earth's gravitational field, yet the duration of the flight is short. Space travel to the nearest stars will be of long duration and will be strongly influenced by the type and quantity of fuel available for extended journeys. There are many different propulsion systems proposed for space exploration. The systems listed below involve propulsion through the transfer of momentum to the spacecraft through ejection of a propellant, where the propellant is a gas (ion drives), combustion products (chemical rockets, nuclear thermal), high-energy particles (fusion drive, antimatter drive), or photons (Bae drive). • Chemical rocket, liquid fuel. • Ion drives (VASIMR, PT!, and others). • Bae photon drive (laser system). • Stationary laser systems. • Solar sails. • Fission rockets: - Pulsed. - Thermal reactor with ion drive. - Thermal reactor with propellant and Laval nozzle. • Fusion drives: - D-T fusion. - Aneutronic fusion. - Bussard (proton and boron-11). - Antimatter catalyzed. 25 UNCLASSIFIED//F8A 8FFIQIIP 1!55 ADU Y
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Report, from the dia collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 50 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.