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Electromagnetic propulsion alternativesMass drivers can serve to propel massive objects by expelling any available material as reaction mass, however, mass driver engines have several limitations such as relatively large payload size and dynamic stability problems. A number of alternative acceleration mechanisms exist which offer advantages for certain applications, such as higher acceleration at a sacrifice in efficiency, smaller possible size and decreased complexity at a sacrifice in service life, etc. The alternative concepts include several variants of the railgun, a family of superconducting slingshot oscillators, a momentum transformer, an impulse induction motor, and a family of hybrid synchronous accelerators. A potential application of considerable interest is the earth-based launching of space cargo or nuclear waste by using off-peak generating capacity to accelerate one ton cargo cylinders at intervals of several minutes.
Document ID
19790050827
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Kolm, H.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Fine, K.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Mongeau, P.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Williams, F.
(MIT Cambridge, Mass., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
May 1, 1979
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 79-1400
Meeting Information
Meeting: Princeton University and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Conference on Space Manufacturing Facilities, 4th, Princeton University
Location: Princeton, NJ
Start Date: May 14, 1979
End Date: May 17, 1979
Accession Number
79A34840
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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