Episode 194: DATA RELAY--Exotic Propulsion Methods

The Orbital Mechanics Podcast

This week in SF history

— 24 January, 1978. Kosmos 954 decayed over russia. (wikipedia.org)

— This was a Upravlyaemy Sputnik Aktivnyy (Управляемый Спутник Активный) “Controlled Active Satellite” (wikipedia.org)

— Wikipedia has a great list of nuclear reactors in space, including their fates (wikipedia.org)

Spaceflight news

— Chang’e-4 enters Lunar night (spacenews.com) (cnn.com)

— Scott Manley made a landing footage analysis video (youtube.com)

Short & Sweet

— Relativity Space gets a launch pad. (spaceflightnow.com)

— Stratolaunch scraps its launch vehicle program. (spacenews.com)

— ISRO aims to test reusable rocket technology this summer. (indiatimes.com)

Data Relay: Exotic Propulsion

— Thanks to Ben McPheron for researching and presenting this topic.

— twitter.com/bdmcpheron

— benjaminmcpheron.com

— youtube.com/DMExplains

— Ion drives (wikipedia.org)

— Electrostatic (theorbitalmechanics.com)

— Electrothermal (PDF: nap.edu)

— Electromagnetic (wikipedia.org)

— Photonic sails

— Proposed mission to use Sol as a gravitational lens (PDF via archive.org: spaceroutes.com)

— Related: Magnetic sail (onlinelibrary.wiley.com) (PDF: usra.edu)

— IKAROS (esa.int)

— Nuclear thermal engines

— Open Cycle (projectrho.com)

— Pulsed NTR (aiaa.org)

— Nuclear fusion (space.com)

— PuFF (Pulsed Fission-Fusion) (nasa.gov)

— Laser powered Ion Drive (nasa.gov)

— Mach Effect drive (nasa.gov)