A Propellantless Propulsion Experiment Design and Testing Plan

A propellantless propulsion experiment design and testing plan are described. The concept was initially presented during the Space Technology and Applications International Forum of 2001 and the experiment was initially presented during the Joint Propulsion Conference of 2001. New information is provided on how the experiment relates to the Human Exploration of Development of Space, the results of peer reviews, a cost estimate performed by a major U.S. aerospace company, and an alternative magnet design to reduce the cost of the experiment and potentially improve the reliability of the system. Recent improvements in high power solid state switches and superconducting magnets may have made propellantless propulsion possible. Propulsion may occur during the non‐steady state ramp‐up of a very rapidly pulsed, high power magnet. Propulsion would not occur after the first 100 nanoseconds of each pulse, since the magnetic field will have reached steady state. The United States Department of Energy Office of High Energy Physics provided some of the funding for the developed a no maintenance superconducting magnet that can carry 2,000 amperes per square millimeter and a switch which can provide 100 nanosecond ramp‐ups at a rate of 0.4 megahertz, and at 9,000 volts and 30 amperes.