NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Phase I Selections

[Ivy Matt]

With the re-establishment of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program this year, NASA has announced the selection of thirty proposals for funding. Each proposal will receive about $100,000 for one year. Among the concepts selected for funding are:

Slough, John “Nuclear Propulsion through Direct Conversion of Fusion Energy” MSNW LLC, WA
…
Tarditi, Alfonso “Aneutronic Fusion Spacecraft Architecture” University of Houston at Clear Lake, TX

John Slough’s work was featured in a recent article in [em]Popular Mechanics[/em]. I wonder about that “direct conversion” in the title of his proposal. Last I heard he was concentrated on achieving break-even with D+T fusion. Is he now expecting to achieve a breakthrough with advanced fusion fuels?

I’m glad to see he has received some amount of funding, if not the tens of millions he is looking for.

[Lerner]

$200,000 is not much but it is more than NASA has been investing in fusion. Next time maybe we’ll apply.

[benf]

Let’s hope it’s the start of a trend! Corporations and financial groups are sitting on “billions and billions” too…Maybe they will be encouraged by this program to follow up with investments in new energy research, such as with Focus Fusion.

[Tulse]

Ivy Matt wrote: I wonder about that “direct conversion” in the title of his proposal.

My guess is that it refers to direct conversion of the fusion reaction to thrust, and not conversion to electricity.

[Ivy Matt]

Yes, it’s probably related to this technology, rather than to Slough’s break-even confinement concept.

[Author]

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