The moon and the medusa: use of lunar assets in nuclear-pulse-propelled space travel

JBIS - Journal of the British Interplanetary Society

Volumn 53, Issue 11-12, 2000, Pages 362-370

  Johndale, Solem C ^a  

^a LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY   (United States)

Author keywords

Lagrange points; Lunar assets; MEDUSA; Nuclear pulse propulsion; Orion

Indexed keywords

CONSTANT ACCELERATION; IMPULSIVE ACCELERATION; LAGRANGE POINTS; LUNAR ASSETS; MEDUSA; ORION; QUALITATIVE PROPERTIES; RADIATION HYDRODYNAMICS;

ENERGY DISSIPATION; LUNAR SURFACE ANALYSIS; MOON BASES; NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS; PROPELLANTS; RADIANT HEATING; SPACE FLIGHT; SPACECRAFT; SPACECRAFT PROPULSION;

EXPLOSIVES;

EID: 6944234298     PISSN: 0007084X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (35)

1. J. Solem, "MEDUSA: Nuclear Explosive Propulsion for Interplanetary Travel", JBIS, 46, 1993, p. 21.
2. J. Solem, "Nuclear Explosive Propulsion for Interplanetary Travel: Extension of "the MEDUSA Concept for Higher Specific Impulse", JBIS, 47, 1994, pp. 229-238.
3. A. R. Martin and A. Bond, "Nuclear Pulse Propulsion: A Historical Review of an Advanced Propulsion Concept", JBIS, 32, 1979, pp. 283-310.
4. R. Gilbert, "Advanced Technology Program Technical Development Plan", U. S. Air Force Systems Command, SCLT 64-67, 1964.
5. C. Everett and S. Ulam, "On a Method of Propulsion of Projectiles by Means of External Nuclear Explosions", LAMS-1955, August, 1955.
6. M. Threshow, "RION Parameter and Payload Study based on 200-and 4, 000-ton Reference Design", General Atomic report GAMD-3597, 1962; J. Nance, General Atomic report GA-5572, 1964.
7. C. David and E. Hager, "Double-Stage Shock-Absorber Investigation", General Atomic report GA-5911, 1964.
8. K. Stanyukovich, "Unsteady Motion of Continuous Media", Pergamon Press, New York, Translated by M. Holt, 1960, p. 501;
9. Ya. Zel'dovich and Yu. Raizer, "Physics of Shock Waves and High-Temperature Hydrodynamic Phenomena", Academic Press, New York, San Francisco, London, 1966, p. 104.
10. F. Harlow and A. Amsden, "Fluid Dynamics", LASL Monograph LA-4700, 1971, p. 38.
11. D. Mihalas and B. Weibel-Mihalas, "Foundations of Radiation Hydrodynamics", Dover, Mineola, 1999, pp. 552-557.
12. Ya. B. Zel'dovich and Yu. P. Razier, "Physics of Shock Waves and High Temperature Hydrodynamic Phenomena ", Academic Press, New York, 1966, p. 165.
13. ibid., pp. 161-164.
14. S. Glasstone, "The Effects of Nuclear Weapons", USAEC, Washington, 1962, p. 24.
15. C. Allen, "Astrophysical Quantities", Athlone, London, 1963, p. 94.
16. L. Spitzer, "Physics of Fully Ionized Gases", Interscience, New York, 1962, p. 148.
17. J. Hendley Robinson, "Astronomy Data Book", David and Charles Newton Abbot, Devon, 1972, p. 50.
18. J. Hendley Robinson, "Astronomy Data Book", David and Charles Newton Abbot, Devon, 1972, pp. 98-99.
19. N. Magee, Jr, et al., "Atomic Structure Calculations and New Los Alamos Astrophysical Opacities", Astrophysical Society of the Pacific Conference Series: Astrophysical Applications of Powerful New Databases, S. Adelman and W. Wiese, eds, 78, 1995, p. 51; Web Page, www.t4.lanl.gov.
20. A. Cox, "Stellar Absorption Coefficient Opacities", in "Stars and Stellar Systems", 8, L. Allen and D. McLaughlin, eds., University of Chicago, Chicago, 1965, p. 195;
21. W. Huebner, W., "Atomic and Radiative Processes in the Solar Interior" in "The Physics of the Sun", 1, P. Sturrock, ed., Reidel, Dordrecht, Holland, 1986, p. 33.
22. S. Nozette, et al., Science, 274, 1495, 1996;
23. R. Simpson and G. Taylor, J. Geophys. Res.-Planets, 104, 1999, p. 3845.
24. R. Kerr, Science, 279, 1998, p. 1628.
25. F. Dowell, J. Chem. Phys., 91, 1989, p. 1326;
26. F. Dowell, Polymer Preprints, 30, No. 2, 1989, p. 532.
27. P. Chaudhari and M. Dresselhaus, Rev. Mod. Phys., 71, 1999. p. S331;
28. M. Dresselhaus, J. Matl. Res., 13, 1998, p. 2355.
29. K. Symon, "Mechanics", Addison-Wesley, London, 1960, pp. 500-509.
30. E. Finlay-Freundlich, "Celestial Mechanics", Pergamon, New York, 1958, pp. 48-51.
31. P. Borcherds, Euro. J. Phys., 17, 1996, p. 63;
32. D. Selaru and C. Cucu-Dumitrescu, Celest. Mech. and Dynam. Astron., 61, 1995, p. 333;
33. S. Zhang and K. Innanen, 96, 1994, p. 1989;
34. C. McInnes, A. McDonald, J. Simmons and E. Mac Donald, J. Guidan. Control and Dynam., 17, 1994, p. 399;
35. R. Broucke, J. Guidan. Controls Dynam., 2, 1979, p. 257.