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From: ESG7@DFVLROP1.BITNET
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Nuclear Fusion Pulse Propulsion Systems -- available literature
Message-ID: <8610171324.AA05905@s1-b.arpa>
Date: Fri, 17-Oct-86 09:26:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: s1-b.8610171324.AA05905
Posted: Fri Oct 17 09:26:45 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Oct-86 22:47:30 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 59

Someone asked about source material on Nuclear Fusion Pulse rockets for

interstellar travel.  The best source is the Project Daedalus final

report produced by the British Interplanetary society.  To acquire a

copy write:



               The British Interplanetary Society

               27/29 South Lambeth Road

               Lonon SW8 1SZ, England



Also the Journal of the British Interplanetarey Society (JBIS),

Interstellar Studies (red cover series) often describes this style of

propulsion along with Bussard ram scoop and antimatter propulsion

schemes.  The JBIS is hands down, the best source of information about

the engineering on interstellar travel.  There is also a paper floating

around entitled: "A Laser Fusion Rocket for Interplanetary Propulsion"

by Roderick A. Hyde, 27 Set. 1983 from Lawrence Livermore National

Laboratory (Larry Labs), preprint number UCRL-88857.  Roderick Hyde is a

nuclear weapons designer who designs starships when he isn't designing a

bigger and better thermonuclear warhead.  Supposably, most of his major

innovations on starship design are classified (Q-Clearance).  Also

"Astronautica ACTA" will on occasion produce something on interstellar

travel.  The most exciting stuff with respect to interstellar travel is

being done by Sandia National Labs.  Sandia is working on an inertial

confinement scheme based on high energy neutral particle beams rather

than lasers.  This sort of system could easily be adapted into a one

million sec. specific impulse propulsion system.  Word has it that the

Nova, Novette inertial confinement scheme at Larry Labs is a loser and

only good for bomb work.  It'll never be useful for producing electrical

power or propelling a spacecraft.

                                   Gary Allen