Ultra-High Energy Experiments Move Nuclear Fusion Closer to Reality
by Christopher Plain | The Debrief

As human spacecraft venture deeper and deeper into space, and missions hoping to study the outer reaches of our own solar system strive to become commonplace, nuclear fusion is among the leading candidates to replace the powerful-yet-limited chemical rockets in use today.

Not only is fusion significantly safer than any theoretical nuclear propulsion systems that rely on fission reactions like those found in nuclear weapons, but it promises significant weight-to-power ratio gains over conventional propulsion methods that make crewed missions beyond Mars virtually impossible to undertake.

To help speed up the development of reliable advanced propulsion systems that could power future spacecraft to the edge of the solar system and beyond, The Limitless Space Institute of Houston, Texas, selected and funded nine teams from across the country to conduct research on novel, sometimes exotic, forms of space drives, including nuclear fusion. The Debrief covered that process in detail in a two-part exclusive interview with Limitless Space’s highest-profile board member and the man who shares the name on the most widely referenced WARP drive concept to date, the Alcubbiere-White WARP Drive, Dr. Harold G “Sonny” White.

Known as the Limitless Space Interstellar Initiative, or more simply I-Squared grants, these awards were handed out in the fall of 2020, allowing the selected teams the time and money needed to conduct real-world research into things like Directed Energy Propulsion, Traversable Wormholes, and Nuclear Fusion, just to name a few.

One of those award winners was a team led by Professor Jason Cassibry from the University of Huntsville, Alabama (UAH), and in July of 2021, Professor Cassibry sat down with The Debrief to speak in depth about his past year of nuclear propulsion experiments funded by the grant, as well as the next steps needed to move this form of advanced propulsion closer to reality.

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