6.2 Impulse Engine Configurations

The main impulse engine is normally located along the centerline of the spacecraft. Four individual impulse engines are grouped together to form the MIE, and two groups of two engines form the engines on saucer modules. Each engine consists of four basic components: impulse reaction chamber (three per engine), muon generator\injector, accelerator\generator, driver coil assembly, and vectored exhaust director. The IRC is an armored oblate spheroid six meters in diameter, designed to contain the energy released in the enhanced muon-aided reaction. It is constructed of eight layers of dispersion-strengthened hafnium excelinide with a total wall thickness of 654 cm. A replaceable inner layer of crystalline gallium fluoride 10cm thick protects the structural sphere from heat and radiation effects. Penetrations are made into the sphere for reaction exhaust, pellet injectors, gravitomagnetic fusion initiators, muon particle-beam injectors and normal sensors.

Deuterium from the main cryo tank is heated and fed to interim supply tanks where it is heated further into low-energy plasma. The plasma is confined inside of a high-energy gravity compression field and a magnetic alignment field, with a 20 mega-amp electric charge running perpendicular to the field. Then muons are injected from an adjacent particle accelerator dedicated to the production of these particles. The total instantaneous output of the IRC is throttleable from 10^9 to 10^12 watts.

High-Energy plasma created during engine operation is exhausted through a central opening in the sphere to the accelerator\generator. This stage is generally cylindrical, 3.5 meters long and 6.3 meters in diameter, constructed of an integral single-crystal duranium frame and pryovunide exhaust accelerator. During propulsion operations, the accelerator is active, raising the velocity of the plasma and passing it on to the third stage.

The third stage of the engine is the driver coil assembly. The DCA is 6.5 meters long and 5.8 meters in diameter and consists of a series of 4 hollow chambers of reinforced anicium titanide 454, each measuring 60cm in diameter by 40cm high. Suspended in the center of each cylinder, in pressurized chrylon gas, is a superconducting cone of thoronium arkenide. The cones, once set to a rotation rate above 125,000 rpm by controlled bursts from the impulse reactors, set up a controlled gravity field with a short lifetime, on the order of a minute or so. The field, in combination with the other engines and the synthetic gravity field generated by the ship, moves the ship by 'pressing' against the galactic gravity field; in essence, pushing against space-time.

The final stage is the vectored exhaust director. The VED consists of a series of moveable vanes and channels designed to expel exhaust products in a controlled manner. The VED is capable of steerable propulsive and nonpropulsive modes.