SBIR Phase I: A Fully Electric Space Vehicle Propulsion Engine

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是实现航天器推进方式的根本性变化，可能导致更快的太空旅行。最近的物理学突破表明，电磁动力发动机的发展可以在适当的条件下实现高速行驶。在商业上，有很大的潜力来减少到地球上的目的地，到低地球轨道，到月球，以及到我们太阳系更远的目的地的运输时间。 成功开发这种发动机最初将通过改进卫星定位和进入轨道来开发。这种推进系统的进一步扩大可以作为一种平台技术，由于减少了对化学推进剂的需求和提高了速度，因此能够增加进入空间的机会。 SBIR第一阶段项目通过验证电磁驱动推进的产生来开发和测试原型发动机。通过利用复杂的介电材料作为引入电磁能的环境，概念验证引擎将验证弱力和强力条件不会被违反，并且正能量密度可以引发纳米级扭曲，以进一步可扩展引擎的形式展示新型电磁推进。 许多研究人员已经开始建立在阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦的广义相对论的基础上，现在米格尔·阿尔库比耶的度量表明，船只可以通过选择性扭曲来推进。两个关键目标是复杂介电材料的开发和实施，以及实现足够推进所需的射频功率的确定。该项目的方法将包括：（a）数学建模，（B）该方法不同实施例的综合模拟，（c）使用已建立的激光干涉测量法对纳米级畸变进行实验验证，以及（d）原型推进发动机的设计和测试。除了最初的原型，接下来的阶段包括优化的功率/失真指标，关联的失真推力，最大化的推重比。 最终，这项研究预计将导致增强的电力推进，将适用于最初的卫星，但最终，以广泛的地球上和离行星propulsion.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is a fundamental change in the way spacecraft propulsion can be achieved, perhaps leading to orders of magnitude faster space travel. Recent physics breakthroughs suggest that the development of an electromagnetically powered engine could enable high-speed travel under the right conditions. Commercially, there is great potential to decrease transit time to destinations on earth, to low-earth orbit, to the moon, and to destinations further in our solar system. Success in developing this engine will initially be developed by improving satellite positioning and accessing orbits. Further scale up of this propulsion system could serve as a platform technology to enable increased access to space due to reduced need for chemical propellant and enhanced speeds. This SBIR Phase I project develops and tests a prototype engine by verifying the creation of electromagnetically driven propulsion. By utilizing a complex dielectric material as the environment where electromagnetic energy is introduced, the proof-of-concept engine will verify that the weak and strong force conditions are not violated and that a positive energy density can initiate nanoscopic distortions, to demonstrate novel electromagnetic propulsion in the form of further scalable engines. A number of researchers have begun building upon the work of Albert Einstein’s general relativity theory and now Miguel Alcubierre’s metric that suggests that a vessel can be propelled by selective distortion. Two key goals are the development and implementation of the complex dielectric material, and the determinization of the radio frequency power required to achieve sufficient propulsion. The project approach will include: (a) mathematical modeling, (b) comprehensive simulations of different embodiments of the approach, (c) experimental verification of nanoscopic distortions using an established laser interferometry approach, and (d) design and testing of the prototype propulsion engine. Beyond the initial prototype, the next stages include an optimization of the power/distortion metrics, association of the distortion to thrust, and maximization of the thrust to weight ratio. Ultimately, this research is expected to lead to enhanced electric propulsion that will be applicable initially to satellites, but ultimately, to a wide range of on earth and off planet propulsion.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.