Solar Wind for Propulsion

Thursday, July 14th, 2022 at 7 pm CDT with Jeff Greason via Zoom

Join HAL5 as we welcome Jeff Greason as they speak on Solar Wind for Propulsion and explain the history and operating principles of this technology.

The awareness of the use of the solar wind for propulsion purposes is beginning to grow in the technical community. A technology developed under NIAC sponsorship, the Plasma Magnet, offers a path to high-acceleration maneuvers in the solar wind, including fast transits to outer planets and to the Solar Gravitational Lens. Jeff Greason will explain the history and operating principles of this technology. The AIAA Nuclear and Future Flight Propulsion TC has sponsored a conceptual design study of a demonstrator mission, JOVE, which would provide the critical flight demonstration of this technology, with a solar-powered approx. 25kg small satellite mission that would flyby Jupiter in approx. 3 weeks at approx. 300 km/s. Mr. Greason will go over the key design challenges uncovered during the conceptual design, review the current state, and discuss possible next steps.

Jeff Greason is an entrepreneur and innovator with 25 years experience in the commercial space industry. He is the Chief Technologist of Electric Sky, developing long-range wireless power for propulsion and other purposes; and Chairman of the Tau Zero Foundation, developing advanced propulsion technologies for solar system and interstellar missions. He has been active in the development of commercial space regulation and served on the Augustine Commission in 2009. Jeff was a cofounder of XCOR Aerospace and served as CEO from 1999 to early 2015. Previously, he was the rocket engine team lead at Rotary Rocket, and an engineering manager in chip technology development at Intel. He holds 28 U.S. Patents and has recently published papers on novel space propulsion concepts. He is also a Governor of the National Space Society.

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