'Star Trek' fusion impulse engine in the works

G

Geriatrix

Executive Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
6,554
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57523867-1/star-trek-fusion-impulse-engine-in-the-works/
It's not quite warp drive, but researchers are hot on the trail of building nuclear fusion impulse engines, complete with real-life dilithium crystals.

There's a hierarchy of "Star Trek" inventions we would like to see become reality. We already have voice-controlled computers and communicators in the form of smartphones. A working Holodeck is under development. Now, how about we get some impulse engines for our starships?

The University of Alabama in Huntsville's Aerophysics Research Center, NASA, Boeing, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are collaborating on a project to produce nuclear fusion impulse rocket engines. It's no warp drive, but it would get us around the galaxy a lot quicker than current technologies.

According to Txchnologist, the scientists are hoping to make impulse drive a reality by 2030. It would be capable of taking a spacecraft from Earth to Mars in as little as six weeks.

"The fusion fuel we're focusing on is deuterium [a stable isotope of hydrogen] and Li6 [a stable isotope of the metal lithium] in a crystal structure," Txchnologist quotes team member and aerospace engineering Ph.D. candidate Ross Cortez saying. "That's basically dilithium crystals we're using." Let's pause and savor that for a moment. Dilithium crystals. Awesome.

Plenty of obstacles will need to be overcome during the development process. The issue of harnessing fusion is prominent, but there is also the question of turning the power generated by fusion into thrust for an engine. The craft using the impulse drive would also need to be assembled in space, much like the International Space Station.

"Imagine using a 1-ton TNT equivalent explosive and putting it out the back end of a rocket. That's what we're doing here," Cortez says in a press release about the project. Now we can all practice saying "full impulse power" to our imaginary starship navigators.
Click to expand...
University of Alabama!? :wtf::confused::D
 
Ockie

Ockie

Resident Lead Bender
Joined
Feb 16, 2008
Messages
52,925
Cool. So...if they can harness fusion in these engines...then I take that means they have solved the problem of making fusion work and therefore giving us fusion power stations on earth also instead of fission?

Damn....just such a pity it is gonna be so long still. :-( I wonder if I will ever get to see this.
 
G

Geriatrix

Executive Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
6,554
Ockie said:
Cool. So...if they can harness fusion in these engines...then I take that means they have solved the problem of making fusion work and therefore giving us fusion power stations on earth also instead of fission?

Damn....just such a pity it is gonna be so long still. :-( I wonder if I will ever get to see this.
Click to expand...

You plan on dying before 2030? How old are you?
 
porchrat

porchrat

Honorary Master
Joined
Sep 11, 2008
Messages
34,278
Correct me if I am wrong but all they are saying is that they have the idea to use fusion in a rocket engine. They don't have any idea how to actually make it work short of saying that deuterium would be the fuel of choice. This concept is not new. Have I missed something. Why is this newsworthy?
 
Ockie

Ockie

Resident Lead Bender
Joined
Feb 16, 2008
Messages
52,925
Geriatrix said:
You plan on dying before 2030? How old are you?
Click to expand...

Well...not planning too...but you know...things happen.

Also...I will be 47 by then. Not sure if my fragile and brittle bones will be able to withstand inter planetary travel by then. Guess my long awaited holiday to the beaches and nymphos of Riza will never come true. *sigh*
 
G

Geriatrix

Executive Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
6,554
porchrat said:
Correct me if I am wrong but all they are saying is that they have the idea to use fusion in a rocket engine. They don't have any idea how to actually make it work short of saying that deuterium would be the fuel of choice. This concept is not new. Have I missed something. Why is this newsworthy?
Click to expand...

Because it's cool. What would you like to discuss instead, Sheldon? :p
 
Ockie

Ockie

Resident Lead Bender
Joined
Feb 16, 2008
Messages
52,925
DAMMIT.....I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEW START TREK MOVIE!!!!

/JUMPS UP AND DOWN. urg.
 
porchrat

porchrat

Honorary Master
Joined
Sep 11, 2008
Messages
34,278
Geriatrix said:
Because it's cool. What would you like to discuss instead, Sheldon? :p
Click to expand...
I already know that deuterium is a good fuel for fusion and that maybe one day we could put it into rockets. I just fail to see how this is news. People have been saying this for something like a decade now.

If they had some sort of proposed mechanism for containing the fusion reaction then I would be interested. I read this and though "yea... and?"


Ockie said:
Yip. Being released middle next year. Filming has finished already.
Click to expand...
See now THIS is newsworthy!!!! :D
 
T

TJ99

Honorary Master
Joined
Apr 30, 2010
Messages
10,737
Um, dilithium is used to stabilise the reaction in the warp core, which is a matter-antimatter reactor. The impulse engines don't have anything to do with dilithium and neither uses it as a reagent.

Just one more reason why The Bang Theory (the series) is completely unbelievable. As this article proves once again, real-life physicists know jack **** about Star Trek. (Of course it's been previously established that they don't date super-mega incredibly hot blondes either)
 
G

Geriatrix

Executive Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
6,554
TJ99 said:
Um, dilithium is used to stabilise the reaction in the warp core, which is a matter-antimatter reactor. The impulse engines don't have anything to do with dilithium and neither uses it as a reagent.

Just one more reason why The Bang Theory (the series) is completely unbelievable. As this article proves once again, real-life physicists know jack **** about Star Trek. (Of course it's been previously established that they don't date super-mega incredibly hot blondes either)
Click to expand...

tumblr_m3dtypIULM1rv4pd3o1_500.gif
 
RiaX

RiaX

Executive Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2012
Messages
7,211
Well I see an explosion happening... But if they get it working then the terrorists will have some imba planes
 
Knyro

Knyro

PhD in Everything
Joined
Jul 5, 2010
Messages
29,491
Ockie said:
Cool. So...if they can harness fusion in these engines...then I take that means they have solved the problem of making fusion work and therefore giving us fusion power stations on earth also instead of fission?

Damn....just such a pity it is gonna be so long still. :-( I wonder if I will ever get to see this.
Click to expand...

Fusion has already been done, sustaining it is now the main problem. Fusion reactions can currently only be sustained for a few seconds AFAIK.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokomak
 
Knyro

Knyro

PhD in Everything
Joined
Jul 5, 2010
Messages
29,491
ponder said:
Don't they currently require more input power than what they output?
Click to expand...

Yes, because they can't create self-sustaining reactions yet. The amount of power those things use is astronomical, research centres that contain tokomaks are usually on a seperate power grid than the rest of the city they are located in to avoid creating blackouts.
 
Last edited:
ponder

ponder

Honorary Master
Joined
Jan 22, 2005
Messages
92,825
Knyro said:
The amount of power those things use is astronomical, research centres that contain tokomaks are usually on a seperate power grid than the rest of the city they are located in to avoid creating blackouts.
Click to expand...

I saw a documentary about the one in England somewhere and I would be ****e scared to work there, the numbers they mentioned my my hair stand up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top