← LeaderboardsInvestigatorsiAttributed = a PI's even-split share of each grant — a $1M grant with 2 PIs counts $500K each.
Space Studies Institute
$636,002
Total funding
2
Grants
Funding over time
peak $511.7K · FY2017–20$1M$750K$500K$250K$0
'17
'18
'19
'20
Funding mix
By agency
NASA$636,002 · 2
By mechanism
—$636,002 · 2
Investigators at Space Studies Institute
InvestigatorsiAttributed = a PI's even-split share of each grant — a $1M grant with 2 PIs counts $500K each.
Exposure= the full size of every grant they're on ($1M each).
Rising Stars
First grant in the last 5 yrs
Not enough data
Emerging Leaders
6–10 yrs in
Not enough data
All-Time
Most funded here, all years
Not enough data
Largest grants
MACH EFFECTS FOR IN SPACE PROPULSION: INTERSTELLAR MISSION. WE PROPOSE TO STUDY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INNOVATIVE THRUST PRODUCING TECHNOLOGY FOR USE IN NASA MISSIONS INVOLVING IN SPACE MAIN PROPULSION. MACH EFFECT GRAVITY ASSIST (MEGA) DRIVE PROPULSION IS BASED ON PEER-REVIEWED TECHNICALLY CREDIBLE PHYSICS. MACH EFFECTS ARE TRANSIENT VARIATIONS IN THE REST MASSES OF OBJECTS THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPERIENCE ACCELERATIONS AND INTERNAL ENERGY CHANGES. THEY ARE PREDICTED BY STANDARD PHYSICS WHERE MACH'S PRINCIPLE APPLIES AS DISCUSSED IN PEER- REVIEWED PAPERS SPANNING 20 YEARS AND A RECENT BOOK MAKING STARSHIPS AND STARGATES: THE SCIENCE OF INTERSTELLAR TRANSPORT AND ABSURDLY BENIGN WORMHOLES PUBLISHED IN 2013 BY SPRINGER-VERLAG.IN PHASE I WE ACHIEVED THE FOLLOWING: * IMPLEMENTED CHIRPED PULSES TO REDUCE HEATING AND PROVIDE A LONGER DURATION THRUST CAPABILITY. * DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED CIRCUITS TO ALLOW FOR 1F AND 2F FREQUENCY IMPEDANCE MATCHED AC INPUT TO THE DEVICE TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF THE MEGA DRIVE. * DEVELOPED A BETTER THEORETICAL MODEL FOR THE DEVICE AND CONCEPTUALIZED A PROBE FOR AN INTERSTELLAR MISSION TO PROXIMA B. IN PHASE II THE NEXT CRITICAL STEP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE THRUSTERS IS TO TEST NEW DESIGNS WITH HIGHER FREQUENCY TO INCREASE THE OUTPUT THRUST. WE HAVE BEEN USING STEINER MARTIN'S SM-111 PZT FOR OUR DEVICES. WE ALSO EXPECT TO TEST NEW MATERIALS FOR EXAMPLE APC-840 PZT AND PIN-PMN-PT WHICH WE HAVE PROCURED BUT NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO YET EVALUATE. IT WOULD ALSO BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO OPERATE MULTIPLE DEVICES TO DETERMINE THE THRUST SCALES IN ARRAYS OF 2 OR MORE DEVICES. WE VIEW THE INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION OF THE MEGA DRIVE EFFECTS BY EXPERTS IN THE VACUUM TESTING OF MICROPROPULSION AS A CRUCIAL STEP IN PHASE II. WE ENVISION A COLLABORATION WITH SEVERAL ENTITIES (FROM ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY) TO ENABLE THE TESTING OF NEW DEVICES. MACH EFFECTS HAVE THE REVOLUTIONARY CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE THRUST WITHOUT THE EJECTION OF PROPELLANT ELIMINATING THE NEED TO CARRY PROPELLANT AS REQUIRED WITH MOST OTHER PROPULSION SYSTEMS. ULTIMATELY ONCE PROVEN IN FLIGHT THESE THRUSTERS COULD BE USED FOR PRIMARY MISSION PROPULSION OPENING UP THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND MAKING INTERSTELLAR MISSIONS A REALITY. THIS AEROSPACE CONCEPT IS AN EXCITING TRL 1 TECHNOLOGY READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO PROVIDING PROPELLANTLESS PROPULSION FIRST IN INCREMENTAL NASA SMALLSAT MISSIONS BUT LATER ENABLING REVOLUTIONARY NEW DEEP SPACE EXPLORATORY CAPABILITIES BEYOND ANYTHING ACHIEVABLE BY CONVENTIONAL CHEMICAL NUCLEAR OR ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEMS.$511,702
· FY2020 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration
WE PROPOSE TO STUDY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INNOVATIVE THRUST PRODUCING TECHNOLOGY FOR USE IN NASA MISSIONS INVOLVING IN SPACE MAIN PROPULSION. MACH EFFECT THRUSTER (MET) PROPULSION IS BASED ON PEER-REVIEWED TECHNICALLY CREDIBLE PHYSICS. MACH EFFECTS ARE TRANSIENT VARIATIONS IN THE REST MASSES OF OBJECTS THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPERIENCE ACCELERATIONS AND INTERNAL ENERGY CHANGES. THEY ARE PREDICTED BY STANDARD PHYSICS WHERE MACH S PRINCIPLE APPLIES AS DISCUSSED IN PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS SPANNING 20 YEARS AND A RECENT BOOK MAKING STARSHIPS AND STARGATES: THE SCIENCE OF INTERSTELLAR TRANSPORT AND ABSURDLY BENIGN WORMHOLES PUBLISHED RECENTLY BY SPRINGER-VERLAG. THESE EFFECTS HAVE THE REVOLUTIONARY CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE THRUST WITHOUT THE IRREVERSIBLE EJECTION OF PROPELLANT ELIMINATING THE NEED TO CARRY PROPELLANT AS REQUIRED WITH MOST OTHER PROPULSION SYSTEMS. OUR INITIAL PHASE 1 EFFORT WILL HAVE THREE TASKS TWO EXPERIMENTAL AND ONE ANALYTICAL: 1. IMPROVEMENT OF THE CURRENT LABORATORY-SCALE DEVICES IN ORDER TO PROVIDE LONG DURATION THRUST AT LEVELS REQUIRED FOR PRACTICAL PROPULSION APPLICATIONS. 2. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A POWER SUPPLY AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND CONTROL OF THE INPUT AC VOLTAGE AND RESONANT FREQUENCY THAT DETERMINE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE MET. 3. IMPROVE THEORETICAL THRUST PREDICTIONS AND BUILD A RELIABLE MODEL OF THE DEVICE TO ASSIST IN PERFECTING THE DESIGN. PREDICT MAXIMUM THRUST ACHIEVABLE BY ONE DEVICE AND HOW LARGE AN ARRAY OF THRUSTERS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SEND A PROBE OF SIZE 1.5M DIAMETER BY 3M OF TOTAL MASS 1245KG INCLUDING A MODEST 400 KG OF PAYLOAD A DISTANCE OF 8 LIGHT YEARS (LY) AWAY. ULTIMATELY ONCE PROVEN IN FLIGHT AND AFTER MORE DEVELOPMENT THESE THRUSTERS COULD BE USED FOR PRIMARY MISSION PROPULSION OPENING UP THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND MAKING INTERSTELLAR MISSIONS A REALITY. THE MET DEVICE IS NOT A ROCKET IT DOES NOT EXPEL FUEL MASS AND DOES NOT SUFFER FROM THE VELOCITY RESTRICTION OF ROCKETS. FREEDOM FROM THE NEED TO EXPEL PROPELLANT MEANS VERY HIGH VELOCITIES MIGHT BE ACHIEVABLE SIMPLY BY PROVIDING ELECTRICAL POWER AND ADEQUATE HEAT REJECTION FOR THE DRIVE SYSTEM. A MISSION TO PLANET 9 (OR PLANET X AS IT HAS BEEN CALLED) IS POSSIBLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE USING RTG POWER AND THRUSTER ARRAYS. A FUTURE GOAL WOULD BE INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL TO THE NEAREST EXOPLANET WITHIN 5-9 LY DISTANCE. A MISSION OF THIS TYPE MIGHT TAKE 20 OR MORE YEARS USING THE MET THRUSTER. ALTHOUGH THE NEAREST EXOPLANET IS 14 OR SO LY DISTANCE MORE EARTH-LIKE PLANETS ARE BEING DISCOVERED DAILY. THIS AEROSPACE CONCEPT IS AN EXCITING TRL 1 TECHNOLOGY READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO PROVIDING PROPELLANTLESS PROPULSION FIRST IN INCREMENTAL NASA SMALLSAT MISSIONS BUT LATER ENABLING REVOLUTIONARY NEW DEEP SPACE EXPLORATORY CAPABILITIES BEYOND ANYTHING ACHIEVABLE BY CONVENTIONAL CHEMICAL NUCLEAR OR ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEMS. THIS UNEXPLORED OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN UNIQUELY DEVELOPED BY OUR CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS BREAKING NEW GROUND IN BOTH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. FINALLY IT IS TECHNICALLY CREDIBLE IF BOLD AND UNCONVENTIONAL AND IS FULLY CONSISTENT WITH MODERN PHYSICS HAVING BEEN DEMONSTRATED OVER TEN YEARS OF CAREFUL LABORATORY DEMONSTRATION AND INVESTIGATION.$124,300
· FY2017 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration