Third International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion (ISBEP 3)
Troy, New York, October 11 - 14, 2004

International Program Committee

Dr. Adrian Alden, Communications Research Centre (Ottawa, Canada)
Prof. Victor V. Apollonov, Prokhorov General Physics Institute (Moscow, Russia)
Prof. Dr. Willy L. Bohn, DLR - Institute of Technical Physics (Stuttgart, Germany)
Mr. John Cole, NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, Alabama, USA)
Prof. Andrei Ionin, Lebedev Physical Institute (Moscow, Russia)
Prof. In-Seuck Jeung, Seoul National University (Korea)
Dr. Jordin T. Kare, KareTechnical Consulting (Seattle, Washington, USA)
Prof. Kimiya Komurasaki, The University of Tokyo (Japan)
Dr. Mike Lander, Anteon Corp. (Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio, USA)
Dr. Alain Lebéhot, Laboratoire d’Aérothermique (Orléans, France)
Dr. Marco A.S. Minucci, Centro Technico Aerospacial - CTA, Instituto De Estudos Avancados (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil)
Prof. Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, New York, USA), ISBEP 3 Co-Chair
Prof. Andrew V. Pakhomov, The University of Alabama in Huntsville (USA), ISBEP 3 Co-Chair and IPC Chair
Dr. Claude R. Phipps, Photonic Associates (Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA)
Dr. James Reilly, Northeast Science and Technology (East Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA)
Dr. Yuri A. Rezunkov, Research Institute for Complex Testing of Optoelectronic Devices (Sosnovy Bor, Russia)
Prof. Akihiro Sasoh, Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan)
Dipl.-Ing. Wolfgang Schall, DLR - Institute of Technical Physics (Stuttgart, Germany)
Dr. Vladimir E. Sherstobitov, Institute for Laser Physics (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Dr. Shigeaki Uchida, Institute for Laser Technology (Osaka, Japan)
Prof. Takashi Yabe, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan)
 
 

Program and Schedule^†:

^{†ATTENTION PRESENTERS: time allotted for a regular talk 25 min (including Q&A), plenary: 40 min.  All oral presentations will be conducted in one room: there will be no parallel sessions.}

 October 11, Monday Morning

  8:00 a.m.- 11:55 a.m.  REGISTRATION

 8:15 - 9:15 a.m. Opening Session 

 8:15 am: Opening remarks from ISBEP chairs: Andrew V. Pakhomov, The University of Alabama in Huntsville and Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA

 8:30 am: Welcome from Shirley Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

 8:40 am: Welcome from Lester Gerhardt, Associate Dean, School of Engineering, Rensselaser Polytechnic Insititute

  8:45 - 11:45 Plenary Session I 

 8:45 am: Impulse and thrust generation for laser propulsion applications, James P. Reilly, Northeast Science & Technology, Inc., East Sandwich, Massachusetts, and Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA

  9:25 am: Will your children ride a laser beam into orbit?  Would you want them to?  Realistic applications of ablative laser propulsion, Claude R. Phipps, Photonic Associates, LLC, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

 10:05 - 10:20 a.m. Coffee Break

 10:20 am: The Lightcraft Project: The multidisciplinary framework, Yuri Baturin, Russian Cosmonaut Corps, Gagarin Training Centre, Zvezdny Gorodok, Russia

 11:00 am: Launching of micro-satellites using ground-based high-power pulsed lasers, Victor Hasson, Trex Enterprises Corporation, San Diego, California, Franklin B. Mead, Jr., C. William Larson, Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards AFB, California and H.P. Chou, Textron Systems Division, Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA

 11:40 - 12:55 p.m. LUNCH

October 11, Monday Afternoon

 12:55 - 3:00 p.m. Plenary Session II 

 1:00 pm: Investigations of propelling of objects by light: Review of Russian papers on laser propulsion, Yuri A. Rezunkov, Research Institute for Testing of Optic-Electronic Devices, Sosnovy Bor, Russia

  1:40 pm: Atmospheric propagation of high energy laser and applications, Joung R. Cook, Boeing Company, Arlington, Virginia, USA 

 2:20 pm: Recent demonstrations of laser power beaming at DFRC and MSFC, Tim Blackwell, Center for Applied Optics, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, USA 
 
 

3:00 - 7:35 p.m. BEP Systems and Missions

 Session Chairman: Jordin T. Kare, Kare Technical Consulting

 3:00 pm: Integrated power-beaming enables clustered micro-sats to outperform big brothers, Stanley W. Hansen, The MITRE Corporation, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

 3:25 pm: Economic analysis of a laser-powered, global small aerospacecraft transportation system (G-SATS), George List, David Walton, and Leik Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA

 3:50 - 4:05 p.m. Coffee Break

4:05 pm: Wireless power transmission technology development and demonstrations, F. Steinsiek, K.H. Weber, and W.P. Foth, EADS-Space Transportation, Bremen, H.J. Foth and C. Schäfer, Technical University Kaiserslautern, Germany

 4:30 pm: Sizing of a space-based BEP launch system, Thierry Abensur, EADS Space Transportation, Les Mureaux, France

  5:05 pm: Optimization of laser systems for laser propulsion applications, James P. Reilly, Northeast Science & Technology, Inc, East Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA

 5:30 pm: Analytical study on flight performance of a RP laser launcher, H. Katsurayama, M. Ushio, K. Komurasaki, and Y. Arakawa, The University of Tokyo, Japan

 5:55 pm: Modular laser options for HX laser launch, Jordin T. Kare, Kare Technical Consulting, Seattle, Washington, USA

 6:20 pm: New technology and lunar power funding option for power beaming propulsion, Jordin Kare, Kare Technical Consulting, Seattle, Washington, James Early, William Krupke and Ray Beach, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Pleasanton, California, USA
 

7:35 - 9:00 p.m. WELCOME RECEPTION (Alumni House)
 
 

October 12, Tuesday Morning

 8:00 - 12:00 a.m. Lightcraft Dynamics I

Session Chairman: James Reilly, Northeast Science and Technology

 8:00 am: Experimental investigation of airbreathing laser propulsion engines: TEA vs. CO₂ EDL lasers, Koichi Mori and Akihiro Sasoh, Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, and Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA

 8:25 am: Off-axis and angular impulse measurements on a lightcraft engine, Michael A. Libeau and Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA

 8:50 am: Impulse pendulum with adjustable pivot point for measuring coupling coefficient, John S. Harchanko, Polaris Sensor Technologies, Huntsville, Alabama, Franklin B. Mead, Jr., and C. William Larson, Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards AFB, California, USA

 9:15 am: Non-linear effects of beam misalignment on a laser light craft, John S. Harchanko, Polaris Sensor Technologies, Huntsville, Alabama, and Terry Finley, Miltec Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama, USA 

 9:40 - 9:55 a.m. Coffee Break

 9:55 am: Detailed impulse generation mechanisms in the laser-driven in-tube accelerator, Akihiro Sasoh, Toshiro Ohtani and Xilong Yu, Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan 

 10:20 am: Model test of the Aerospace Laser Propulsion Engine, Yuri A. Rezunkov, Alexander A. Ageichik, Maxim S. Egorov, Alexander L. Safronov, and Vladimir V. Stepanov, Research Institute for Complex Testing of Optic-electronic Devices, Sosnovy Bor, Russia 

 10:45 am: Experimental investigation of air-breathing mode of laser propulsion with elongate cylindrical models and CO₂ lasers of different pulse durations, V.M. Irtuganov, V.P. Kalinin, V.V. Sergeev, A.A. Smirnov, V.E. Sherstobitov, D.A. Goryachkin, S.A. Tul’skyi, and I.L. Yachnev, Research Institute for Laser Physics, St. Petersburg, Russia 

 11:10 am: Combined theoretical and experimental flight dynamics investigation of a laser propelled lightcraft, Kurt Anderson, Leik N. Myrabo, and Michael Vitus, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA

 11:35 am: Optical pulsating discharge interaction with gas media: the conditions of stable generation and shock waves joining, Victor Apollonov and V.N. Tischenko, Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Moscow, Russia

12:00 - 1:15 p.m. LUNCH (Mueller Center (Provided))

October 12, Tuesday Afternoon

1:15 - 2:55 p.m. Lightcraft Dynamics II 

Session Chairman: Akihiro Sasoh, Tohoku University

 1:15 pm: Numerical study on thrust performance evaluation of laser propulsion during supersonic/hypersonic flight, Sukyum Kim and In-Seuck Jeung, Seoul National University, Korea and Jeong-Yeol Choi, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea 

 1:40 pm: Simulation of acoustic noise generated by advanced laser-powered orbital lightcraft, H.A. Scarton, W.C. Kennedy, P. Van Laak, and L.N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA 

 2:05 pm: An experimental study on energy conversion process of CW laser thruster, Susumu Uehara, Takayoshi Inoue, Kimiya Komurasaki and Yoshihiro Arakawa, University of Tokyo, Japan

 2:30 pm: Analysis of pulsed laser-generated impulse in an advanced airbreathing thruster, Jacques C. Richard, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, and Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA

2:55 - 3:10 p.m. Coffee Break
 
 

3:10 - 5:15 p.m. Microwave BEP 

Session Chairman: Adrian Alden,Communications Research Centre

 3:10 pm: A multi pulse flight experiment of a microwave beaming thruster, Yasuhisa Oda, Masato Ushio, and Kimiya Komurasaki, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan and Kouji Takahashi, Atsushi Kasugai, and Keishi Sakamoto, The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Ibaraki, Japan

 3:35 pm: Some recent developments in wireless power transmission to micro air vehicles, A. Alden, P. Bouliane and M. Zhang, Communications Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada

 4:00 pm: One THz beamed energy - mission capabilities, Donald G. Johansen, EMF Research, La Honda, California, USA

 4:25 pm: Heat transfer within the heat-exchanger structure of a microwave thermal thruster, Kevin L.G. Parkin, Leo D. DiDomenico, and Fred E.C. Culick, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

 4:50 pm: Three-dimensional transient structural response of a 20-m diameter microwave boosted lightcraft, B.N. Cassenti, Pratt & Whitney, E. Hartford, Connecticut, and Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
 

 5:15 - 6:30 Dinner break (not provided)
 

October 12, Tuesday Evening
 
 

6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Lasers for Propulsion 

Session Chairman: Yuri A. Rezunkov, Research Institute for Complex Testing of Optoelectronic Devices

 6:30 pm: Computer simulation of a solid-state laser system for propulsion of a space “tugboat” from LEO to GEO, V. E. Sherstobitov, N. A. Kaliteevskiy, V. I. Kuprenyuk, A. Yu. Rodionov, N. A. Romanov, V. E. Semenov, L. N. Soms, N. V. Vysotina, Research Institute for Laser Physics, St. Petersburg, Russia

 6:55 pm: 20MW pulse-periodic GDL for Lightcraft launching, Victor V. Apollonov, A.M.Prokhorov‘s General Physics Institute RAS, Moscow, Russia 

 7:20 pm: High power CO₂ – and CO – lasers at the Prospective Research Department of the Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research (TRINITI), Anatoly V. Rodin, Victor A. Gurashvili and Valery G. Naumov, Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research, Troitsk, Russia

 7:45 pm: The experimental laser facility based on the high-power repetitively-pulsed e-beam-sustained CO₂ laser, V. D. Bulaev, V. S. Gusev, I. P. Zhigan, A. I. Korchagin, A.N. Poznyshev, A. N. Shevtsov, State Research Laser Center "Raduga", Raduzhnyi, and V. E. Sherstobitov, Research Institute for Laser Physics, St. Petersburg, Russia

 8:10 pm: PALS – The optimal laser for determining optimal Ablative Laser Propulsion parameters? Frederick P. Boody, Ion Light Technologies GmbH, Bad Abbach, Germany

 8:35 pm: Very high average power nuclear-pumped laser for Ablative Laser Propulsion, Frederick P. Boody, Ion Light Technologies GmbH, Bad Abbach, Germany

6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Poster Session (Auditorium Foyer) 

 P1: Induction phenomena in a laser-sustained scramjet, Yoko Ohkawa, Kazunobu Tamada, Hideyuki Horisawa, Tokai University, Hiratsuka, and Itsuro Kimura, University of Tokyo, Japan 

 P2: Ion emission characteristics of a forward laser accelerated plasma thruster, Keishi Oyaizu, Masaya Izumi, Hideyuki Horisawa, Tokai University, Hiratsuka, and Itsuro Kimura, University of Tokyo, Japan 

 P3: Ablation of absorption-enhanced water for propulsion with TEA CO₂ laser, Enrique Sterling and Andrew V. Pakhomov, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, C. William Larson and Franklin B. Mead, Jr., Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards AFB, California, USA
 

October 13, Wednesday Morning

 8:30 - 12:30 p.m. Ablative Laser Propulsion 

Session Chairman: Claude R. Phipps, Photonic Associates

 8:30 am: Large impulse launch using 300-J CO₂ TEA Laser, Koichi Mori, Keiko Watanabe, and Akihiro Sasoh, Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

 8:55 am: Laser propulsion using metal-free water cannon target, Sho Miyazaki, Takashi Yabe, Tomomasa Ohkubo, Choijil Baasandash, Kazumoto Taniguchi, Akito Mabuchi, Daisuke Tomita, and Yoichi Ogata, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

 9:20 am: Initial demonstration of Ablative Laser Propulsion, Timothy Cohen and Kenneth A. Herren, National Space Science and Technology Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, M. Shane Thompson, Information Systems Laboratories, Inc., Brownsboro, Alabama, Jun Lin and Andrew V. Pakhomov, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, USA

 9:45 am: Two-pulsed technique for Ablative Laser Propulsion: Force measurement in vacuum, Kenneth A. Herren, National Space Science and Technology Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, Timothy Cohen, Jun Lin and Andrew V. Pakhomov, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, USA

10:10 - 10:25 a.m. Coffee Break

 10:25 am: Ablation performance experiments with metal seeded polymers, Wolfgang O. Schall, Jochen Tegel, and Hans-Albert Eckel, Institute of Technical Physics, German Aerospace Center, Stuttgart, Germany

 10:50 am: Numerical and experimental study of propulsion efficiency for laser ablation mode, Huifeng Tong, Jing Li, Jian Cai, Xiaojun Hu and Zhiping Tang, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

 11:15 am: Ion acceleration characteristics of a laser-electrostatic hybrid microthruster, Akira Igari and Hideyuki Horisawa, Tokai University, Hiratsuka, and Itsuro Kimura, University of Tokyo, Japan

 11:40 am: Spot Size Limited Carbon Propellant Characterization for Efficient High I_sp Laser Propulsion, Shigeaki Uchida, Yoshinori Shimada, Kazuhisa Hashimoto, and Michiteru Yamaura, Institute for Laser Technology, Osaka, Japan

 12:05 am: Angular distributions of plasma edge velocity and integrated intensity: Update on specific impulse for Ablative Laser Propulsion, Andrew V. Pakhomov and Jun Lin, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, USA

12:30 - 1:45 p.m. LUNCH (not provided)

October 13, Wednesday Afternoon

1:45 - 4:45 p.m. Airspikes 

Session Chairman: Marco A. S. Minucci, Centro Technico Aerospacial - CTA, Instituto De Estudos Avancados

 1:45 pm: Drag and total power reduction for artificial heat input in front of hypersonic blunt bodies, Yuri P. Raizer, Institute for Problems in Mechanics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, and Mikhail N. Shneider, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA [Delayed Plenary Paper]

 2:25 pm: Experimental and computational investigation of drag reduction by electric-arc airspikes at Mach 10, C.S. Hartley, T.W. Portwood, M.V. Filippelli, L.N. Myrabo, and H.T. Nagamatsu, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, Mikhail N. Shneider, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, and Yuri P. Raizer, Institute for Problems in Mechanics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia 

 2:50 pm: Flow visualization of laser-induced air spikes in hypersonic flow, Marco A. S. Minucci, Paulo G. P. Toro, Antonio C. Oliveira, and José B. Chanes Jr., Laboratory of Aerothermodynamics and Hypersonics, IEAv-CTA, São José dos Campos, Brazil, Antonio G. Ramos, Laboratory of Aerothermodynamics, FEAU/UNIVAP, São José dos Campos, Brazil, Henry T. Nagamatsu and Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA

3:15 pm: Combined experimental and numerical investigation of electric-arc airspikes for blunt body at Mach 3, C. Misiewicz and L. N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, Mikhail N. Shneider, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, and Yuri P. Raizer, Institute for Problems in Mechanics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

 3:40 pm: Numerical simulation and experiment on supersonic air-breathing laser-spike propulsion vehicle, Sukyum Kim, Young-Taek Kim and In-Seuck Jeung, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

 4:05 - 4:20 p.m. Coffee Break

 4:20 pm: Estimation of gasdynamic and heat transfer conditions within laser-induced airspikes for inflatable lightcraft, D.R. Head, J. Seo, J.J. Marsh, and B.N. Cassenti, Pratt & Whitney, E. Hartford, Connecticut, and Leik N. Myrabo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
 
 

4:45 - 5:35 p.m.  New Vehicle Concepts 

 Session Chairman: Wolfgang Schall, Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt 

4:45 pm: Evolving crewed laser lightcraft designs from refined Soyuz TMA technology, Chris Faranetta, Lightcraft Technologies Inc., Bennington, Vermont, USA

 5:10 pm: Prospect of solar-pumped laser-driven vehicles powered by water, Takashi Yabe, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Shigeaki Uchida, Institute of Laser Technology, Osaka, and Minoru Yoshida, Kinki University, Japan

 5:35 - 6:25 p.m.  Fundamental Issues 

Session Chairman: Wolfgang Schall, Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt 

 5:35 pm: Specific impulse definition for Ablative Laser Propulsion, Don A. Gregory, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Kenneth A. Herren, National Space Science and Technology Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

 6:00 pm: Problem of Relativistic Mirror: The final solution, Andrew V. Pakhomov, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, USA 
 
 

October 13, Wednesday Evening

7:00 - 10:30 p.m. Dinner and Award Ceremony at Sage Dining Hall with a keynote address entitled:  ”The Gull Sees Farthest Who Flies Highest” - by Anthony N. Pirri, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

October 14, Thursday

7:30 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. Scenic Fall Foliage Bus Tour

   A scenic tour of the Adirondacks, featuring the Great Camp Sagamore (a National Historic Site), delicious lunch aboard the W.W. Durant while cruising Raquette Lake, visit to the Adirondack Museum, and an exquisite dining experience at the Merrill Magee House - will be available at a nominal fee. Step back in time to an era when the Vanderbilts, Morgans, Carnegies, and other Captains of Industry vacated the stifling heat of New York City to vacation in their sumptuous Adirondack Camps, pampered by all the comforts of home and indulging in the illusion of roughing it.