Plasma rocket research funded by NASA?

[SmashBrown]

Only cos i use NF mods, this got my attention, what's your opinion, my educated fellows?

http://www.space.com/30221-plasma-rocket-technology-nasa-funding.html?cmpid=514630_20150830_51421766&adbid=10153033941961466&adbpl=fb&adbpr=17610706465

[Shrike99]

The Vasimr is nothing new to most folks around here, and i think the general consensus of the community is that it isn't the engine that needs researching and developing, it is the power source needed to run it.

At the moment all of the viable options are too heavy for it to be practical, though future lightweight solar arrays might be enough.

Btw the Vasimr in near future is inspired by the engine in the article, but in near future you have decent weight fission reactors that work in space, something we haven't really developed in the real world.

It is exciting to see this being developed, but a lot more effort and time will be needed before it is a mature, viable propulsion system, and unfortunately much of the public don't approve of spending tax $ on this sort of thing.

Now if NASA had a budget equivalent to what they had in the 60's, i would expect to see electrical based spacecraft doing test runs to mars within 5 years, but this is not the case.

[UmbralRaptor]

VASIMIR is the propulsion technology of the future, and like aerospikes, Stirling generators, and fusion that seems to permanently be the case. (Most recently because the ISS test was cancelled) On the up side, the most recent versions are apparently demonstrating better N/W than HiPEP did in 2003-4. (Though I think HiPEP still has 2x the Isp)

Or, I like ion engines in general, but find VASIMIR in particular remarkably meh.

[PB666]

VASIMIR is the propulsion technology of the future, and like aerospikes, Stirling generators, and fusion that seems to permanently be the case. (Most recently because the ISS test was cancelled) On the up side, the most recent versions are apparently demonstrating better N/W than HiPEP did in 2003-4. (Though I think HiPEP still has 2x the Isp)

Or, I like ion engines in general, but find VASIMIR in particular remarkably meh.

^^^^^^

And once they become operational it will be used for station keeping on ISS. All you need is to join it to a dcent battery and you can trickle charge the battery and pulse the station for all but continous station keeping. The other problem is using it as an interplanetary drive. That needs more pwer than cells can produce. Either Nuclear power will be needed or solar cell energy per have to become much for efficient per mass.