[ RadSafe ] Mission to Moon or Mars

[JPreisig at aol.com]

Dear Radsafe:
 
    From:    _jpreisig at aol.com_ (mailto:jpreisig at aol.com)       .
 
    Hey All,
 
 
            Spacex  just had its nice launch of a space supply capsule (and 
Mercury-style  splashdown)
to send supplies to the ISS (International Space Station).  Pretty  Neat.
 
      Launch was via a multi-stage rocket.   Sounds like Team USA could get 
a lander to the Moon
fairly soon.  No need to reinvent the wheel.  How to do all this  is all 
over the place in the Annals
(and computer storage) of NASA.  Just use modern technology.
 
     Launch the Moon capsule (and Moon lander etc.)  using a Multi-Stage 
Rocket, using chemical
propulsion, as usual.  Down the line, perhaps Team USA/NASA can have a  
final rocket stage
with a highly enriched Uranium drive.
 
    Such a rocket stage could carry a supply of water or  some other kind 
of propulsion fluid.
A rudimentary ion propulsion system is described in the book by Lorrain and 
 Corson (Electromagnetic
Fields and Waves).  Other such propulsion systems are possible.   Pump the 
fluid into the reactor,
heat it and then pump it towards the ion propulsion (or whatever)  system.  
Have space capsule orbit
the Moon/Mars, visit the planet/Moon surface with a landing craft, as  
before.  Then, return to the Space
Capsule and return to Earth.  Or dock the space capsule at the ISS and  use 
a conventional rocket
system like SPACEX just used to return the astronauts to the Earth.   Sure 
there's a great deal of
Science/Engineering work yet to do.
 
    JJC, the Hindenburg had Hydrogen in it.  Doesn't  environmental Helium 
come from alpha decay (other
production mechanisms possible).
 
               Regards,    Joseph R. (Joe) Preisig, PhD
 
PS  No wonder flying saucers or whatever are visiting the Earth all  the 
time.  They need water for
      propulsion????  Saw a neat NASA??? film  on Astronaut UFO reports (on 
TV) that has great images 
     of a well-resolved, saucer-shaped object making a  pretty wicked right 
hand turn.  Maybe someday,
     an Earth spacecraft can harvest dark matter/energy  en route to propel 
a spacecraft.
     Don't forget your sunglasses tomorrow to look at  Venus going across 
the Surface of the Sun..