User:Dmcdysan/sandbox/Spacecraft propulsion

Modifications to Spacecraft propulsion - Without internal reaction mass
There are several different space drives that need little or no reaction mass to function. A tether propulsion system employs a long cable with a high tensile strength to change a spacecraft's orbit, such as by interaction with a planet's magnetic field or through momentum exchange with another object. Solar sails rely on radiation pressure from electromagnetic energy, but they require a large collection surface to function effectively. The magnetic sail deflects charged particles from the solar wind with a magnetic field, thereby imparting momentum to the spacecraft.

or the ISM

A variant is the mini-magnetospheric plasma propulsion system, which uses a small cloud of plasma held in a magnetic field to deflect the Sun's charged particles.

plasma enhanced magnetic sail injects as in M2P2 or its successor MPS or holds as in Plasma magnet

An E-sail would use very thin and lightweight wires holding an electric charge to deflect these particles, and may have more controllable directionality.

Modifications to Spacecraft propulsion- Table of methods
Rows as of 9/10/22

'''Magnetic sails: No propellant exhausted. Result is delta-v. 2/t[2]  is Cattell, meaning not clear.'''

M2P2 is from Funaki 13

Citation to MagBeam not applicable.

Changes made 9/13/22 Freeland 2015

Table Notes