Plasma rocket engine tested for a record time

Scientists have tested a revolutionary plasma rocket engine for a record time of more than four hours.

London, June 15 : Scientists have tested a revolutionary plasma rocket engine for a record time of more than four hours.

Scientists at the Ad Astra Rocket Company, who tested the engine at a facility in Costa Rica believe, the engine will eventually be cheaper to operate than conventional models, and will reduce travel time for space missions.

According to former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz, who runs the company, the engine works by stripping electrons from hydrogen atoms and accelerating the resulting plasma in an electric field.

Expelling the plasma out of the back of the engine generates thrust, a technique known as Variable Specific-Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VISIMR) technology, which was conceived in the 1970s. However, Unlike conventional rockets, which generate all their thrust in the first few minutes of a mission and then coast to their destination, a VISIMR engine, accelerates continuously.

This reduces journey times, and could one day also provide a low level of artificial gravity for astronauts.

But, as Chang-Diaz said, a lot needs to be done before the plasma rocket engine can be commercialised.

"The first objective is to move small spacecraft in low orbit by 2010," said Ad Astra executive director Ronald Chang-Diaz, the astronaut's brother.

Incidentally, the team conducted a test in December, when it ran the engine for two minutes, but had to turn it off because of overheating, reports New Scientist.

ANI