vansig wrote: The current alternative is VASIMR, which already consumes lots of electricity; can a below-unity FF reactor achieve greater specific impulse than VASIMR on the same input power? maybe it can.
VASIMR’s specific implulse is about 5000 seconds optimally, according to wikipedia, compared to about 1.2 million seconds (optimally) from p-B11 reactions. Thrust from p-B11 will be low, like other forms of ion drive. VASIMR’s advantage is higher thrust.
