One of the most famous and prestigious physicists in history had a period of “inspiration” that did not end up convincing everyone. This was the beginning of Einstein’s famous predictions, which not only focused on atoms or the universe, but also on what was increasingly known as the engine. One of them, formulated more than a century ago, has just been confirmed: they have thus marked the beginning of the end of hydrogen (and of all known fuels, by the way) with a proposal that seems like science fiction.
Einstein predicted this engine 200 years ago: Now it has come true, and it’s the end of fuels
The Rocket Star’s thorium engine is another spectacular propulsion method that relies on thorium as its source of power, a stone-aged element highly capable of energy production. This engine marks a new generation of space engines as it outperforms previously used hydrogen-based developing engines.
Einstein’s principles of mass distributions, as promised by the mass/energy equivalence equation E=mc2, gave birth to the possibilities of fusing thorium as fuel. Thorium is an element found on Earth in larger quantities than uranium. Possessing more energy density, it can be used to power spacecraft.
The Rocket Star thorium engine delivers an incredible 10 MW, which is exponentially higher than the hydrogen engine output rates. This means a power output of one million horsepower, as that is equivalent to the specific impulse of more than 1000 seconds. This is twice as large as hydrogen engines, one of the best markers.
New thorium engine to revolutionize mobility: It’s not for cars, but for this innovative means of transport
The team at Rocket Star has been stressing their efforts in designing the thorium engine, and numerous experiments and simulations have been conducted regarding the operation of the engine and its safety. The efficiency of safety functions in the engine is backed by a safety containment system and control redundancy in the function that utilizes radioactive materials.
The Rocket Star thorium engine is superior to the hydrogen engine in so many areas of operation. Besides the increased power and specific impulse, the thorium engine also has the advantage of longevity; the expected run time is 10 years before the fuel would be depleted and would need the recharge.
Also, the thorium engine is more efficient in terms of fuel to thrust compared with the hydrogen engines, where the fuel efficiency of the thorium engine is up to 50% superior. The efficiency thus enhanced cuts the fuel demand and the expenses of each launch; the Rocket Star thorium engine is therefore favorable to both commercial and government operations.
It’s not about nuclear mobility: This engine may be the future of something on our roads
Thorium exists in larger quantities than uranium and is denser in energy than it, which makes it a good candidate as a fuel. The team at Rocket Star has carried out thorough testing and work to guarantee that the design of the thorium engine will be safe and efficient, as expected.
NASA and DARPA are also working on nuclear thermal rocket engines that can also benefit of some of the advancements made by Rocket Star. Altogether, Rocket Star’s thorium engine describes a significant milestone in space propulsion that has the potential to revolutionize the further development of space exploration.
What we could call the Einstein thorium engine is, in reality, the result of decades of research in nuclear physics, which has resulted in a prototype that is an example of innovation taken to the limit. Moreover, there are already those who are thinking of options with this fuel for cars, something that was already considered years ago and did not work out well (as you will remember we saw in a recent article). Nuclear, therefore, has less and less space, also in mobility, and for reasons that are well known.
