reference to electric field propulsion?

[knome]

Still ramping up on my plasma physics so please indulge me a bit here 🙂

Has there been any idea work on using the Sun’s electric field, or any other consequences of our having an electric solar system, as a propulsion method for an ‘electric sail’ powered spacecraft? I seem to remember seeing -something- about that but I was wondering if any could point me in the right direction.

Also I was wondering if any had thoughts about the proposed solar sail craft (number two) that will be being attempted to be launched by the Planetary society and how you think that might actually play out, given the ES hypothesis.

[Jolly Roger]

knome wrote: Has there been any idea work on using the Sun’s electric field, or any other consequences of our having an electric solar system, as a propulsion method for an ‘electric sail’ powered spacecraft? I seem to remember seeing -something- about that but I was wondering if any could point me in the right direction.

Mini-Magnetospheric Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) creates a magnetic bubble to ride the plasma of the solar wind. It might also interact with the magnetic field of the Sun, Earth, Jupiter and other planets with magnetic fields.

http://www.ess.washington.edu/Space/M2P2/

Variable-Specific-Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) may be able to operate in M2P2 mode.

http://www.nasatech.com/Briefs/Sep01/MSC23041.html

Both require a source of power and plasma. Focus Fusion (FF) is both.

https://focusfusion.org/index.php/site/article/university_of_illinois_space_propulsion/

I hope this is of some help.

[knome]

Thanks muchly 🙂 I have a physics and mathematics background, but am a bit rusty as I’ve been in computer science for some time now. Guess I’ll have to do a bit of refreshing!

I’ll say one thing though.. it appears that they are still operating with the terms and descriptions of the standard model (solar wind, magnetic clouds). Do you think that they’ll be in for some surprises if they get a prototype into space?

[Jolly Roger]

knome wrote: … it appears that they are still operating with the terms and descriptions of the standard model (solar wind, magnetic clouds). Do you think that they’ll be in for some surprises if they get a prototype into space?

You seem to be speaking of something other than the standard model and I am guessing that is the Electric Sun Hypothesis.

http://www.electric-cosmos.org/sun.htm

Please supply some links so I can get on the same page as you.

What surprises do you think they are in for?

[knome]

It is indeed the Electric Sun hypothesis .. the Electric Universe hypothesis actually, which I have been following as a pseudo layman (I don’t have graduate level physics.. only undergrad math and physics) since the 90s. Since this is the Plasma Cosmology section, I thought I could find some sympathetic ears 🙂

Well, as I am certainly not up to snuff on the models involved, I can only speculate. However.. what happens when you put a magnet in a strong electric field? It is probably true that the forces involved here are going to be minimal with respect to such a tiny object, and that the charged particles expelled by the sun will be the main driving force, and so things will go pretty much as expected. The thing that interests me is using the ES model as a backdrop, and thinking about what might happen to a dust mote with a magnetic field behind it that is 100s of times its size once it gets out into interplanetary space.

In other words, how would the Birkeland currents affect it? Would they at all? Are they too weak? Would there be random effects? What about approaching a very electrically active situation like nearing Io? If the magnetic field intersected with a Birkeland current that was of sufficiently large density could there be catastrophic effects? I mean, we’re talking about billions of eV potentially, and if you move a magnet through that current…

Honestly, that’s why I am asking the question 🙂 I’m only recently able to spend some real time getting my physics and maths up to where I can be more capable with regards to Plasma Physics.

[pluto]

Hello All

As for the sun

Read the papers by Prof Oliver

http://www.omatumr.com/papers.html

and

Micheal Mozina
The Surface Of The Sun
http://www.thesurfaceofthesun.com/

[Author]

Posts