NASA's proposed propulsion system can, theoretically, beam a heavy spacecraft beyond the solar system's confines within five years, which took the iconic Voyage 1 probe 35 years to do.
Pellet-Beam Propulsion
According to Science Alert, this concept called pellet-beam propulsion received a US$175,000 NASA grant for further development.
It is important to note, however, that the concept is still purely theoretical. Because of this, it is important to contain excitement.
Nevertheless, this has garnered attention not just because of its incredible potential to reach interstellar space within a human lifetime but also because of its claims to handle huge crafts.
Artur Davoyan, the proposal's lead researcher and an aerospace engineer at the University of California, says that the proposal looks into new propulsion systems that can enable fast transport of heavy payloads across the entire solar system and even beyond it.
The concept was partially inspired by the initiative of the Breakthrough Starshot, which works on a light-sail propulsion system. With millions of lasers working together, a small probe can, theoretically, reach Proxima Centauri in just two decades.
This new propulsion proposal begins with a similar thought. However, it looks at shifting bigger entities.
To successfully operate, the theoretical propulsion system may need two craft: one that is bound for interstellar space and one that will rotate the earth. The latter would release beams of microscopic particles toward the interstellar craft.
According to Interesting Engineering, lasers will then heat up such particles and make them melt into plasma that may further accelerate the pellets. Such a process is referred to as "laser ablation." The pellet beams offer thrusts that propel the craft to move at tremendous speeds.
The pellets may move at a speed of around 120 km/second and hit the interstellar craft's sail or repel a magnet inside it. This helps propel the craft to great speeds so that it can quickly move out of the heliosphere, which is the solar wind bubble that encapsulates the solar system.
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Interstellar Space Travel
As per NASA, with the help of the pellet-beam, outer planets may be reached within a year, 100 astronomical units (AU) in around 3 years, and the solar gravity lens at 500 AU in around 15 years. Most importantly, unlike other propulsion systems, the pellet-beam will enable the propulsion of heavy craft, which weigh around a ton.
Astronomical units refer to the rough distance between the sun and earth, which is equivalent to around 150 million kilometers.
The Voyage 1 probe spent 35 years traveling to interstellar space. It reached around 122 AU.
While all these numbers and potential are just speculations, the first phase of NASA's Innovative and Advanced Concepts (NIAC) will tremendously help. During this phase, the researchers will demonstrate the concept's feasibility by conducting intricate modeling of various subsystems of the proposed propulsion architecture. They will also be conducting proof-of-concept studies.
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