Asteroid redirection and soft landing facilitated by cosmic ray and muon-catalyzed fusion
OwnerJerome Drexlerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Asteroid redirection and soft-landing systems are provided that use cosmic ray and muon-catalyzed micro-fusion. These systems include a micro-fusion propulsion system providing thrust for redirecting a small asteroid, as well as providing a particle cushion at a landing site for a soft-landing. The systems deploy deuterium-containing fuel material as a localized cloud interacting with incoming ambient cosmic rays to generate energetic fusion products. Dust or other particulate matter in the fuel material converts some cosmic rays into muons that also catalyze fusion. The fusion products provide thrusting upon the asteroid. The fusion products also aid deceleration of incoming asteroids to be mined for a soft landing upon a lunar or planetary surface.
Claims20
A method, operable in the presence of an ambient flux of cosmic rays, of braking an asteroid upon approach to a lunar or planetary surface, comprising:
- projecting deuterium-containing particle fuel material in a specified direction outward from a landing site on a lunar or planetary surface toward an approaching asteroid, the asteroid having a mass of not more than 100 metric tons, the asteroid also provided with its own onboard propulsion system,
- dispersing the material as a cloud directly in an incoming flight path of the asteroid, the material interacting with the ambient flux of cosmic rays to generate products having kinetic energy;
- and
- receiving by the asteroid of at least some portion of the generated kinetic-energy-containing products to produce thrust directed generally away from the lunar or planetary surface that decelerates the asteroid as it approaches the landing site at a specified trajectory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.