![[Nuclear Fusion In Space-NASA photo]](AC76-0492_1q.jpeg)
At the University of Washington's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the future is here. Our Research Labs holds a Flow-Through Z-Pinch Experiment, the beginnings of a Nuclear Fusion Powered Rocket Thruster. Safe, economic nuclear fusion is a solution to everyday interplanetary travel.
![[The Fusion Reaction]](Fusion-reaction-Lrg.gif)
Fusion is the process where two nuclei are forced
together to form a new type of nucleus.
The most common form of fusion occurs when two isotopes of
hydrogen are forced together to form a Helium nucleus.
This generates an extremely high amount of energy.
![[Plasma in Space]](plasma.jpg)
Plasmas are found in the interior of stars and in interstellar gas. Plasma is a fully ionized gas containing approximately equal numbers of positive and negative ions. Plasma conducts electricity and is affected by magnetic fields. It is the main constituent of a fusion power source.
Picture from Pierre Schoberth.
![[Tokamak]](Tokamak-small.gif)
The sun's great weight can push down on hydrogen nuclei and cause them to fuse.
We do not have that amount of force at our disposal. With the tokamak, a magnetic
field confines plasmas to high temperatures and pressures. This produces megawatts
of fusion power. The magnets also serve to contain and control the super hot plasma.
![[The Z-Pinch Rocket Thruster]](thrust1.jpg)
A Z-Pinch fusion thruster would use a flow stabilized
plasma column to release the fusion energies and accelerate the plasma
to very high velocities, which may then be used as propulsion.
![[counter]](Wc-01.gif){kind=small}