NASA SBIR 01-1 Solicitation

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The magnetic sail, or "magsail" is a concept which propels spacecraft by using the magnetic field generated by a loop of superconducting cable to deflect interplanetary or interstellar plasma winds. Assuming high temperature superconductors with the same current/mass ratio as existing low temperature superconductors, a magsail sailing on the solar wind at a radius of one AU can attain accelerations on the order of 0.01 m/s2, much greater than that available from a conventional solar lightsail. A net tangential force, or "lift" can also be generated. Using these forces, a magsail can transfer payloads to and from any two circular orbits in the solar system in a flight time slightly larger than the Hohmann ballistic transfer time without the expenditure of propellant. A magsail operating within the magnetosphere could interact with the Earth's magnetic poles to generate a series of perigee kicks to drive a payload of several times the magsail's e mass to interplanetary space in times scales of a few months. Magsails can also be made to interact with planetary ionospheres to lower orbits. Magsails could be used to create drag against the interstellar medium to decelerate ultrafast interstellar spacecraft, thereby enabling flights to the stars.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Magsails have important potential commercial applications. Many satellites need to be transported from Low Earth orbit (LEO) to higher orbits such as geosynchronous orbit (GEO), and the fact that the magsail can be used to enable such transfers without requiring the expenditure of propellant offers the prospect of extraordinary cost savings. Current launch systems can transport at least four times as much to LEO as to GEO. Thus, if a magnetic sail with a mass less than or equal to the payload it is boosting can be used to move a payload from LEO to GEO, a considerable saving in launch requirement can be realized. Magsails could also be used to deliver NASA space probes to interplanetary destinations. Magsails could also be used to create friction against the Earth?s ionosphere, thereby allowing reusable orbit transfer vehicles to return to LEO without requiring either the expenditure of propellant or putting the system through the trauma of the thermal and gravitational loads associated with aerobraking. By creating drag against the interstellar medium, magsails could be used to decelerate very fast interstellar spacecraft without the expenditure of propellant, thereby making a substantial contribution towards enabling interstellar missions. Finally, magsails can provide shielding for interplanetary spacecraft against solar flares. The multitude of potential applications of magsail technology make it a very promising commercial development.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Robert Zubrin
Pioneer Astronautics
11111 W. 8th Avenue, Unit A
Lakewood , CO   80215 - 5516

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Pioneer Astronautics
11111 W. 8th Avenue, Unit A
Lakewood , CO   80215 - 5516