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SpaceRef - Calendar of Events - Add Your Event
AIAA Houston Section Lecture: Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz Developing VASIMR
November 20, 2009 (Friday) We dream of going to the stars. Plasma rockets open up new and exciting possibilities for fast space transportation. Utilizing ionized gases accelerated by electric and magnetic fields, these devices expand the performance envelope of rocket propulsion far beyond the limits of the chemical rocket. The VASIMR(R) engine - short for Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket - is one such rocket. Its genesis dates back to the late 1970s. After 30 years of development, the VASIMR(R) has reached a high level of maturity and is now being prepared for its first test in space in late 2013 on board the International Space Station. Its success could imply a paradigm shift in space transportation and open the entire solar system for human exploration. Under development by the Ad Astra Rocket Company the VASIMR(R) VF-200 mission will serve as a pathfinder and help establish the US portion of the ISS as a national laboratory. Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz Franklin Chang Diaz (born in San Jose, Costa Rica on April 5, 1950 and a dual citizen of the United States and Costa Rica) is the founder and President of Ad Astra Rocket Company, an advanced rocket technology company in North America, with operations in Webster, Texas and Guanacaste, Costa Rica. In July of 2005 he concluded a successful 25 year career as a NASA astronaut, achieving a world record of seven space flights. He graduated in 1977 with a PhD in plasma physics from MIT.
AIAA Houston: www.aiaa-houston.org Date: Friday, November 20, 2009 Location: UHCL Bayou Bldg Theater, TX, US Web Site Address: http://www.spacecenterlectureseries.com |
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