Could Helium-3 Power Our Future? (Part 3) | Helium-3 Powered Rockets Explained

Video Authors:

Milan Sivakumar B.S in Biomedical Engineering UT Austin'23

In this video we explore whether Helium-3 can be used to power our rocketry and spacecraft. This is a two-parter where we will be exploring the concept behind the engine design for a Helium-3 power based spacecraft in the next video. This video comes shortly after the launch of Artemis 1 which is the beginning of a new chapter in human space exploration with fusion energy being at the helm!

Sources:

Songs:

Icelandic Arpeggios - DivKid

TheFatRat-Xenogenesis

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:10 Artemis 1 and traditional rocketry

1:49 Traditional Helium-3 fusion explained

1:59 Helium-3 Advantages

3:17 Thrust to weight ratio

3:56 Drawbacks of Helium-3

5:10 Conclusion

Some images were derived and modified heavily from Veectzy

[shamdeshmukh]

Why are you so underrated bro ?
Nice video loved it 👍

[stevenverrall]

Both deuterium and helium 3 are components of the solar wind and interstellar space. They could be collected along the way for long journeys.

[FurryAzzre]

FINALLY THE PERFECT VIDEO FOR WORLD WANDER

[stevesloan]

The strength comes via virtual particles, and the Casimir effect aligned with the exactness of the Hall effect electrons.

Just saying 😎🤜🏼🤛🏼😘

[FurryAzzre]

I have a Sci-Fi universe where a species I have build uses helium-3 to power basically everything. They use it to power their ion drives as well as use it to power their energy sink, the Delta-Drive which requires a lot of energy to conjure a portal to Delta-Space.

[XanU-idbo]

I still think that FFRs may be a more near-term option for interstellar travel.

[wastelesslearning]

Sure it can. Toss almost anything into a black hole accretion disk or spinning black hole’s ergosphere, harvest resulting radiation, and bang. It’s powered. It’s actualy more effecting to use black holes for mass>energy conversion then when fusion and way less picky fuel wise. 😂 as for weight there are work arounds but by using a light sale that rides the stationary energy beam (with the black hole power source being stationary and off the ship beaming the ship) for travel within our solar system for relative cheap.

[Auroral_Anomaly]

1:33 As someone who learns chemistry, seeing green liquid oxygen was painful.💀

[jeffreymelton]

1:31 No dude your are kind of wrong.
SLS is powered by 4 RS25 engines, which has a max thrust of 418, 000 lbf (1.86 MN) at sea level, and 512, 300 lbf (2.279 MN) in a Vacuum for the hydorgen Oxygen mixture you are talking about. That means for the hydrogen/oxygen mixture, you are only getting about 2.5 million pounds of thrust, which also means that the other 6.3 million pounds of thrust will be coming from the Ultra massive Solid state boosters on either side of the vehicle, that do not use liquid hydrogen/oxygen.

[corywolf]

Good info and editing. But your delivery is monotone. Not enough energy and emphasis on certain parts that require it. Just some minor critiques that could help.

[jeffreymelton]

I admire your imagination, but i believe your ideas have glossed over some major issues.
its not that we dont have an abundance of helium 3, its more that we dont have alot of helium. Helium 3 is created when you cool helium down to 4 Kelvin. The amount of energy needed to keep the helium that cold would be massive, and would require alot of mass to accomplish, so all of the savings in mass you site between helium vs hydrogen would be lost in the tech needed to keep helium that cold.

Also, you are correct in that exhaust velocity does matter, and with a higher thrust exhaust velocity. helium would be more efficient, however what matters most is mass flow. in space that is what matters along with velocity of exhaust. how much mass is being launched in the opposite direction.

[DataSoong-fo]

Wrong... is posibole heat and ignite roket fuel using a induction coil whit a big WAT power is called Plasma Engine!!!