SBIR Phase I: A Fully Electric Space Vehicle Propulsion Engine

SBIR 第一阶段：全电动航天器推进发动机

• 批准号: 2318600
• 负责人: Rebecca Glenn
• 金额: $ 27.28万
• 依托单位: MORNINGBIRD MEDIA CORPORATION
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2318600&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Fully; Electric; Space

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is a fundamental change in the way spacecraft propulsion can be achieved, perhaps leading to orders of magnitude faster space travel. Recent physics breakthroughs suggest that the development of an electromagnetically powered engine could enable high-speed travel under the right conditions. Commercially, there is great potential to decrease transit time to destinations on earth, to low-earth orbit, to the moon, and to destinations further in our solar system. Success in developing this engine will initially be developed by improving satellite positioning and accessing orbits. Further scale up of this propulsion system could serve as a platform technology to enable increased access to space due to reduced need for chemical propellant and enhanced speeds. This SBIR Phase I project develops and tests a prototype engine by verifying the creation of electromagnetically driven propulsion. By utilizing a complex dielectric material as the environment where electromagnetic energy is introduced, the proof-of-concept engine will verify that the weak and strong force conditions are not violated and that a positive energy density can initiate nanoscopic distortions, to demonstrate novel electromagnetic propulsion in the form of further scalable engines. A number of researchers have begun building upon the work of Albert Einstein’s general relativity theory and now Miguel Alcubierre’s metric that suggests that a vessel can be propelled by selective distortion. Two key goals are the development and implementation of the complex dielectric material, and the determinization of the radio frequency power required to achieve sufficient propulsion. The project approach will include: (a) mathematical modeling, (b) comprehensive simulations of different embodiments of the approach, (c) experimental verification of nanoscopic distortions using an established laser interferometry approach, and (d) design and testing of the prototype propulsion engine. Beyond the initial prototype, the next stages include an optimization of the power/distortion metrics, association of the distortion to thrust, and maximization of the thrust to weight ratio. Ultimately, this research is expected to lead to enhanced electric propulsion that will be applicable initially to satellites, but ultimately, to a wide range of on earth and off planet propulsion.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）I期项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是可以实现航天器推进的方式的根本变化，也许导致太空旅行的数量级。最近的物理突破表明，电子动力发动机的开发可以在正确的条件下高速行驶。从商业上讲，有很大的潜力将到达地球目的地，低地球轨道，月球和进一步的目的地的目的地的运输时间很大。最初将通过改善卫星定位和访问轨道来开发开发该引擎的成功。由于对化学推进剂和增强速度的需求减少，因此可以进一步扩展该推进系统可以作为一种平台技术，从而可以增加进入空间的通道。 SBIR I期项目的项目开发并通过验证电子驱动推进的创建来测试原型引擎。通过利用复杂的词典材料作为引入电子能的环境，概念验证的发动机将验证弱和强力条件不会违反，并且正能量密度可以启动纳米镜变形，以证明以进一步可扩展发动机的形式证明新型的电磁推进。许多研究人员已经开始基于阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦（Albert Einstein）的一般可靠性理论的工作，现在Miguel Alcubierre的指标表明可以通过选择性扭曲来推动船只。两个关键目标是复杂词典材料的开发和实施，以及确定实现足够推进所需的射频功率。项目方法将包括：（a）数学建模，（b）使用已建立的激光干涉法方法对纳米畸形的实验验证，（c）对纳米畸变的实验验证，以及（d）原型推进引擎的设计和测试。除了初始原型外，下一个阶段还包括优化功率/失真指标，变形与推力的关联以及推力与重量比的最大化。最终，这项研究有望导致最初适用于卫星的电力推进，但最终适用于地球和地球外推进的广泛范围。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的审查标准评估来诚实地获得支持。