TUSTIN, Calif., Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Since Einstein, scientists have
dreamed of Laser light powered rockets streaking through space at speeds
approaching the speed of light. This vision came a step closer to reality
on December 21, 2006, when Dr. Young Bae of the Bae Institute successfully
demonstrated the world's first Photonic Laser Thruster (PLT). Repeated
experiments since then have reconfirmed results.
Dr. Franklin Mead, Senior Aerospace Engineer, and leading rocket
scientist in laser and advanced propulsion at the Air Force Research
Laboratory (AFRL) remarked, "I attended Dr. Bae's presentation about his
PLT demonstration and measurement of photon thrust here at AFRL. It was
pretty incredible stuff and to my knowledge, I don't think anyone has done
this before. It has generated a lot of interest around here."
Photon particles have been considered inefficient for producing thrust
because they have zero mass, and no electric charge. The PLT system
overcame the inherent photonic inefficiency by bouncing photons many times
between two mirrors. Using a photonic laser and a sophisticated photon beam
amplification system, Dr. Bae demonstrated that photonic energy could
generate amplified thrust between two spacecraft by bouncing photons many
thousands of times between them.
The patent-pending Bae Photonic Laser Thruster (PLT) was built and
monitored with off-the-shelf laboratory components at the Southern
California laboratory of the Bae Institute. With an amplification factor of
3,000, the photon thrust generated from the egg-sized laser head in the PLT
prototype is equivalent to the thrust that can currently only be generated
by orders-of- magnitudes larger and heavier industrial or weapons-grade
lasers.
Although PLT can be used for a wide range of space applications,
including accelerating spacecraft to near light speed, Dr. Bae has more
immediate goals. He plans to include PLT in a Photon Tether Formation
Flight (PTFF), another of his patent pending ideas for controlling
spacecraft flying in formation with nanometer precision. By integrating PLT
and space tethers, PTFF will enable the creation of large telescopes and
synthetic apertures in space for high- resolution earth or space
monitoring. PTFF promises precision 100,000 times greater than existing
formation flying spacecraft missions, notably the Proba- 3 currently
planned by European Space Agency (ESA).
As a result of this successful PLT demonstration, thrust power
requirements for a wide range of NASA spacecraft formation flight
configurations, such as SPECS and MAXIM, are well within today's space
power budgets. No other propellants are needed with PLT, resulting in mass
energy savings, extended spacecraft missions, and contaminant-free
operation for highly sensitive sensors.
Although built on a shoestring budget, the maximum photon thrust was
demonstrated to be 35 uN, which is already close to, or sufficient power
for many envisioned space missions. Encouraged by this breakthrough, the
Bae Institute is actively seeking further funding for scaling up and
constructing space flight ready PLT systems. "In addition to conventional
formation flying, fractionated space architectures can benefit tremendously
from the versatility and flexibility of a tightly controlled PLT system,"
according to Dr. Bae.
The PLT project is currently funded by a Phase II NIAC grant (NASA
Institute for Advanced Concepts), which funds only the most prestigious and
revolutionary ideas for the next generation NASA space missions.
Background:
The Bae Institute was founded in 2002 by Dr. Young K. Bae for the
purpose of developing highly innovative space and medical technologies for
commercial and government applications. Dr. Bae has pursued advanced
propulsion concepts such as antimatter and fusion propulsion for more than
20 years at SRI International, Brookhaven National Lab, and the Air Force
Research Lab after obtaining a Ph.D. in physics from UC Berkeley.
For more information contact:
Dr. Young K. Bae
Bae Institute
218 W Main St., Suite 102
Tustin, CA 92780 USA
Website: http://www.Baeinstitute.com
Email: ykBae@Baeinstitute.com
Phone: (714) 838-2881
Laboratory photo images available for download:
Dr. Bae with lab apparatus:
http://gallery.ejwassoc.com/uploads/8745-R1-01-1.jpg
Photon Laser Thrust
demonstration: http://gallery.ejwassoc.com/uploads/PLTPR.jpg
SOURCE Bae Institute
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Related links:
http://www.Baeinstitute.com
CONTACT:
Dr. Young K. Bae of Bae Institute,
+1-714-838-2881, ykBae@Baeinstitute.com
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