In a nuclear fusion reaction, nuclei are forced to polymerize to produce huge amounts of energy. Most fusion reactors use a tokamak device to trap fuel in a magnetic field to drive the fusion reaction. However, tokamak devices are too heavy and are not suitable for use on rockets. Therefore, fusion-powered rockets must use another method to trigger fusion, namely inertial confinement fusion. This design replaces the magnetic field in a tokamak with a high-energy beam, usually a laser. When the fusion reaction occurs, the magnetic field guides the hot ions to be sprayed towards the rear of the rocket to achieve the propulsion of the nuclear fusion rocket. American researchers say they are developing a nuclear fusion-powered rocket that can significantly shorten the time it takes humans to drive deep space vehicles to and from Mars. After U.S. President Obama came to power, he proposed a plan to land manned humans on Mars in the 2030s. However, based on current technology, it is not easy to fly humans to Mars. Due to power limitations, it would take approximately 500 days for humans to travel to Mars and back on existing chemical-fueled deep space vehicles. Fox News quoted a statement from John Slough, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at the University of Washington, on the 11th: It is basically impossible for humans to fly too far from the earth relying on existing rocket fuel. We hope to provide a more powerful source of energy that will eventually lead us on a journey across the planet. "The new source of energy that Slough is talking about is nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion refers to a reaction in which atoms with small masses, mainly deuterium or tritium, interact with each other under certain conditions to generate heavier nuclei and release a large amount of energy. This kind of reaction The reaction is the source of energy for stars such as the sun and hydrogen bombs. Slough estimates that if nuclear fusion is used to provide energy, the time for humans to travel to Mars can be shortened to 30 to 90 days.
Slough’s research project is expected to be completed in 2018. The first convergence test will be performed late this summer.