Workable Fusion Starship Proposed

Posted by Soulskill on Sunday February 1, 2009 @03:31AM from the for-sufficiently-difficult-values-of-workable dept.

Adam Korbitz writes "A former colleague of Edward Teller — father of the hydrogen bomb — has published a new paper proposing a design for what could be the first practical fusion-powered spacecraft (PDF). As described at Centauri Dreams, the design has certain similarities to MagOrion, a 1990s-era proposal for a nuclear-powered spaceship with a magnetic sail and propelled by small-yield fission devices. The proposal's author also has links to the British Interplanetary Society's Project Daedalus, a 1970s proposal for an unmanned fusion-powered interstellar probe designed to reach 12% of the speed of light on its way to Barnard's Star."

1 of 260 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Emphasis on 'Workable Fusion' by number6x · 2009-02-01 04:13 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Shouldn't we have 'workable fusion' first in order to base the starship's propulsion system on it?
If we don't have to develop a workable fusion engine first, then they should use my idea. It will allow travel at twice the speed of light.
All we need is fairy dust and unicorn piss to power it.