You can get as much as 10 times as much energy out as you would from conventional combustion. Cole will review Marshall-sponsored research during this morning's opening session. Advanced plasma engines that produce high-power jets of ionized gas are another option for travel to the planets. Blasts Off - Atoms locked in snow, a teaspoon from the heart of the sun, and the stuff that drives a starship will be on the agenda of an advanced space propulsion conference that opens today in Huntsville. Riding the Highways of Light - Science mimics science fiction as a Rensselaer Professor builds and tests a working model flying disc.
Many atoms prefer to join with their own kind to form molecules.
When they join, the surrender a tremendous amount of energy. If they are cold enough, they won't join, so NASA is experimenting with methods to separate carbon or boron molecules into atoms, then trap them in hydrogen ice pellets. The ice, in turn, would float in liquid helium. C ole said this slushlike mix is unstable, and requires several years of work before test engines could be built. The Shuttle Main Engine produces 455 seconds.