Advanced Deuterium Fusion Rocket Propulsion For Manned Deep Space Missions

TL;DR

This paper proposes a feasible deuterium fusion rocket propulsion system for manned deep space missions, utilizing micro-bombs ignited by space-based proton beams, potentially enabling travel to the Oort cloud.

Contribution

It introduces a novel fusion propulsion concept using deuterium micro-bombs ignited by space-based proton beams, with a feasible ignition method via a Super Marx Generator.

Findings

Deuterium micro-bombs can be ignited by intense GeV proton beams.

Space-based proton beams can be generated using the spacecraft as a capacitor.

The proposed system could enable manned missions to the Oort cloud.

Abstract

Excluding speculations about future breakthrough discoveries in physics, it is shown that with what is at present known, and also what is technically feasible, manned space flight to the limits of the solar system and beyond deep into the Oort cloud is quite well possible. Using deuterium as the rocket fuel of choice, abundantly available on the comets of the Oort cloud, rockets driven by deuterium fusion, can there be refueled. To obtain a high thrust with a high specific impulse, favors the propulsion by deuterium micro-bombs, and it is shown that the ignition of deuterium micro-bombs is possible by intense GeV proton beams, generated in space by using the entire spacecraft as a magnetically insulated billion volt capacitor. The cost to develop this kind of propulsion system in space would be very high, but it can also be developed on earth by a magnetically insulated Super Marx Generator. Since the ignition of deuterium is theoretically possible with the Super Marx Generator, rather than deuterium-tritium with a laser where 80% of the energy goes into neutrons, would also mean a breakthrough in fusion research, and therefore would justify the large development costs.