VASIMIR

I did give you proof that you are mistaken and you chose to ignore it. Three times. Ion/plasma rockets will not work in an atmosphere. That is a fact. Ionised gas and/or plasma from the atmosphere will build up around the outside of the engine ruining its operation. You can't dismiss that fact as a mere challenge to be overcome.
I said shut up or put up but obviously I can't make you do it any more than I can make Dan Frederiksen stop spouting his own brand of nonsense. It's just a helpful suggestion to stop you from looking like an idiot. Carry on if you want to, but it's only going to damage your chances of raising funding. No sane person would invest $250,000 in someone who rants untruths and impossible claims about his project. Claims like these hurt the credibility of the whole NewSpace industry, not just you.

johno

Ha If I really thought I would get any funding I might but you are correct that that's not probable as I have already stated. I don't really care obviously and I can do it on my own. The very plasma you state is in fact the fuel for my engine design and it's so simple I cant mention it for obvious reasons.
Once the corona effect is over you switch to more conventional Plasma/ion engines. I'll say take a look at a sputtering Ion pump all engines are basically one form or another of a pump.
Luckily for me it's simple enough I don't need funding just time to develop it. Competing in some of these space prizes is helping me to realize these plans a little faster.
If I was the least bit worried I couldn't do it in time I wouldn't say anything at all. The victory will be that much sweeter when the so called idiot does exactly what he stated and not that far from claiming it.
I would just love to prove it right now but I cant capitalize on it without the infrastructure needed to develop it. I had a plan right from the beginning starting with the N-Prize and the farther we get the closer I'm getting to dropping that bomb.
I'm not nearly the person your thinking I am and it's fine by me if you consider me a crackpot all the better. I'm really very good at what I'm doing and it is going according to plan so far.
I got a big grin going cause I know there is a way and it's not that far away. I'll get my hands on it sooner than you think just watch a pro at work. My plan is working slowly but surely.
It might be different if I was in it for the money but I'm not. I want to make a change in our economy and I know I can make a difference whether you believe me or not makes little difference in my plan. Ya know? Play right into my hand everyone else does too. Very few know the real truth about what my deal is and I like it that way. You will be surprised and guess what! It will all be good and not personal then.

Monroe

Monroe, what's the matter with you?

You used to be a valued part of this community and almost everybody had high respect for you because of your N-Prize and other efforts.

And now this series of ridiculous posts (at least in this thread) that utterly destroy your reputation?! Are you sure you haven't been drinking?

Please, if you have a "revolutionary idea" for a new propulsion system that could replace chemical rockets and it is "so easy that you can't share the idea", then just shut up about it until you can realize it.

If on the other hand you want other peoples opinion about it and maybe even help or funding, then you might want to be a little more specific and most importantly a little bit more humble.

Posting like an egocentric a**hole wont help you, us (the community), newspace or anybody else...

I'll hold off on congratulating you until you're ready to share your innovations with the rest of us. In the meantime, best of luck and try to use a different writing style to Gaetanomorono.

johno

I can't believe I'm seeing you writing against VASIMR Monroe!

First of all, Chang-Diaz is one of the great minds of "old space", and VASIMR is not supposed to be a "new space" technology. Ad-Astra receives most of their financial backing (what isn't from NASA) from some really rich people from Costa Rica, and they've spent that money extremely well. VASIMR is functionally speaking a revolutionary improvement in propulsion technology, but it will never be relevant or appropriate for small-scale missions. In fact, the ISS is almost "too" small to use it on.

That being said, if we (as humanity) ever want to sustain an extended deep-space presence, we need an efficient and large way of transporting materials amongst our disjoint colonies. VASIMR is the only currently existing technology capable of offering that efficiency at scale.

The fact that Chang-Diaz has managed to get the backing he needed in order to build this engine is nothing short of incredible. Their ISS placement probably won't be followed by another order for years. New space benefits from old-space research all the time, and this is a perfect example of how- by the time we (newspace) are ready, old-space will have developed a way for us to deal with logistics at scale.

So save your hate for old-space projects that really deserve it. I know NASA is probably going to be a customer of yours sometime in the relatively near future (re: nanosat prize), and hence you should consider re-evaluating your wholly anti-NASA position.

PS: Ion/SPT propulsion doesn't scale. It just doesn't.

It's true that they probably won't get a hardware order from an external entity but I have heard/read that Ad-Astra may be planning to build and launch an orbital tug. That would put them in the business of transporting payloads from LEO to GEO or even lunar orbit. There's the potential to make a lot of money there and save lots of money for potential customers at the same time.

I'm also hopeful that a similar system could be used to collect some of the bigger pieces of junk floating around up there and depositing it at L4 or L5 for future recycling. That's just wishful thinking from me though. Corporations don't look that far ahead for their profits. The ISS would make a very lucrative scrapheap in 15-20 years though. Maybe the primary mirror from Hubble could be used to build a solar furnace...

johno

link?

that's a good idea on the tug, but i think it really depends on how much it costs them to build the damn thing before profitability could be determined? that's a huge technical risk and i'm almost positive they would have to be writing the first one off as at least a partial loss.

http://www.google.com/search?q=ad+astra+tug

I can't remember exactly where I read that it was an Ad Astra project. It seems that lots of people want some of the action.

johno

yeah i've seen the lunar tug idea. still a long ways from a commitment to build it.

A new animation video yesterday by Ad Astra:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RL1sj1R01g

I wonder what Zubrin would have to say.

Here is a cool KickStarter from the people at University of Michigan for a plasma thruster to send cubesats through the solar system for exploration.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597141632/cat-a-thruster-for-interplanetary-cubesats

A lot of money to raise in such a short time, I wish them success.

Latest from Ad Astra
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Rick

I think that they can not create twelve thousand (12.000) degrees of temperature in outer space.

Why not?

In a video, Franklin Chang-Díaz said "the only problem is the temperature". And it is logical that with electricity outer space, you can not create so much temperature.

In addition, you have to beat the cold of the universe.