Edgar Choueiri changes NASA Spaceships to Run on Plasma. Designs Others to Carry Construction Materials

17Jun09

Astrophysical scientist at Princeton University and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Edgar Choueiri’s research has developed plans for spaceships to fly to Mars on plasma fuel.

In an interview with the daily pan-Arab al-Hayat on Tuesday, Choueiri said: “Space ships that traveled to Mars in the mid 1960’s only worked on photographing the planet from space. Such spaceships had small engines weighting mo more than a thousand Kilograms, always relatively orbiting close to earth.”

He added that traditional rockets were also utilized for the same purpose to burn liquid fuel emitting hot gasses providing spaceships with a forward push “such rockets only provided the spaceship with a speed of 3 Km per second.”

This kind of spaceships no longer satisfies scientists’ ambitions. Nowadays, scientists are capable of building much bigger, faster and more fuel-efficient spaceships.

“The new spaceships are based on a new technology termed ‘plasma propulsion system’ that can very effectively do the job,” Choueiri said.

He added that plasma propelled spaceships are capable of traveling into deep space unhindered.

This ‘plasma’ is highly charged gas scientifically known as the fourth state of matter or a combination of highly charged electrons and ions. Choueiri adds that plasma could be controlled magnetically and acting as a good conductor of electro-magnetic power giving spaceship engines a speed of 60 Km per second. The process is carried out via a plasma thruster or a rocket that runs on electric power rather than just burning liquid fuel in space.

This technology allows NASA to launch heavy spaceships capable of carrying construction material for building cities, homes and hotels on the surface of the moon and nearby planets.

Choueiri an American of Lebanese origin was born in Tripoli in 1961, later studied at the Freres de la Salle school. In 1976 he left to Paris to continue his studies and in 1979 he moved to the United States to work on his bachelor’s degree in space engineering at Syracuse University in New York. He later worked on his masters and doctorate degrees at Princeton University, presently working for NASA.

He is scheduled to lecture on ‘The Future of Space Travel’ on Tuesday June 16 at the University of Balamand at the Fares hall main campus at 6:00pm. (Naharnet)

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