This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for energy production from at least one of electron-mediated nuclear reaction and single-element nuclear reaction, wherein a reactive nuclei fuel is loaded into a reactor. The fuel includes one or more reactive nuclei. To maintain a chain reaction, the fuel structure has a multiplication factor of energetic electrons larger than one. A chain reaction is initiated and/or periodically re-initiated in the fuel.

A composition of matter including a fuel comprising one or more of isotopes of hydrogen or isotopes of lithium. The general binding reactions comprise electron-catalyzed chemical, molecular, or transmutation binding reactions. The composition also includes one or more reactants having an energy-releasing binding energy with the fuel. The fuel is associated with the general binding reactions with the one or more reactants. The composition additionally includes a reservoir capable of releasing one or more of molecular fuel or mono-atomic fuel when the reservoir is heated. The reservoir comprises one or more of the fuel or precursors to the fuel, such as a chemical form of fuel in the reservoir material. The composition further includes a fuel-cracking material capable of converting a fraction of the molecular fuel into mono-atomic fuel. The composition additionally includes a reaction crystallite on or in which general binding reactions are capable of being stimulated to occur. The composition further includes a spacer. Upon the one or more reaction capsule emissions of one or more of the proximate reaction capsules, the fuel is released from the reservoir, the fuel-cracking material is brought to operating temperature, a temperature of the reaction crystallite is raised sufficient to cause crystal momentum injection, electrons are tailored by the energy-releasing binding energy and the crystal momentum injections into the reactant crystallite, and an emission of the reaction capsule energizes one or more of the proximate reaction capsules to cause a self-sustaining or chain reaction. Other embodiments are described.

A craft having a source of deuterium-containing micro-fusion fuel particles is operable above a planetary, lunar or asteroid surface in the presence of ambient cosmic rays. The fuel particles are dispersible from a set of ports, where at least some of the ports are in an underside of the craft body and others are in lateral sides of the craft body. Dispersed fuel particles interact with ambient cosmic rays and muons to generate energetic reaction products, at least some which are then received by the underside of the craft to generate lift and also selected lateral sides of the craft to generate propulsive thrust in a desired lateral direction. The craft can carry tethers and winches to carry a payload above the surface from location to another. In another embodiment, a balloon-based design, such as a dirigible, provides primary buoyant lift, while the micro-fusion particles provide at least lateral thrust, and supplemental lift where needed.

Establishing and growth of a lunar or planetary surface base involves continuing to use landing spacecraft as docked modules of the base for habitation and work. A first spacecraft is landed at a specified surface site then doubles as first module of the base. A second (and later third and subsequent) spacecraft is landed at the site a safe distance from the existing base modules then moved over the surface into a side-by-side position to dock with selected base modules. At least some of the landing, surface transport, and operational electric power is supplied by micro-fusion using ambient cosmic rays and muons interacting with deuterium-containing particle fuel material to generate energetic reaction products.

A molten metal fuel to plasma to electricity power source that provides at least one of electrical and thermal power comprising (i) at least one reaction cell for the catalysis of atomic hydrogen to form hydrinos, (ii) a chemical fuel mixture comprising at least two components chosen from: a source of H2O catalyst or H2O catalyst; a source of atomic hydrogen or atomic hydrogen; reactants to form the source of H2O catalyst or H2O catalyst and a source of atomic hydrogen or atomic hydrogen; and a molten metal to cause the fuel to be highly conductive, (iii) a fuel injection system comprising an electromagnetic pump, (iv) at least one set of electrodes that confine the fuel and an electrical power source that provides repetitive short bursts of low-voltage, high-current electrical energy to initiate rapid kinetics of the hydrino reaction and an energy gain due to forming hydrinos to form a brilliant-light emitting plasma, (v) a product recovery system such as at least one of an electrode electromagnetic pump recovery system and a gravity recovery system, (vi) a source of H2O vapor supplied to the plasma and (vii) a power converter capable of converting the high-power light output of the cell into electricity such as a concentrated solar power thermophotovoltaic device and a visible and infrared transparent window or a plurality of ultraviolet (UV) photovoltaic cells or a plurality of photoelectric cells, and a UV window.

A nuclear fusion system includes: a muon generation unit for generating negative muons; a gas supply unit for circulating and supplying gaseous deuterium or gaseous deuterium-tritium mixture as raw material gas for a nuclear fusion reaction; and a Laval nozzle for accelerating the raw material gas to supersonic velocity including a flow regulation portion in which the muons are decelerated and a reaction portion in which the nuclear fusion reaction occurs, wherein an oblique shockwave, which is generated as a result of collision of a shock wave generator arranged inside the reaction portion and the raw material gas accelerated to supersonic velocity, converges on a center axis of the Laval nozzle, and thereby a high-density gas target is retained in a gas phase, and wherein the muons are introduced into the high-density gas target, and thereby the nuclear fusion reaction is caused to occur.

An electricity generating farm includes an electrical grid with a network of conductive lines and switches, and a plurality of micro-fusion-driven turbine generator units selectively connected to the grid. Each generator unit includes a source of deuterium-containing particle fuel material that can be supplied as a dispersed cloud in a columnar reaction volume. Ambient cosmic rays and muons entering the reaction volume interact with the dispersed fuel material to generate energetic reaction products that drive turbines coupled to electrical generators.

A collision-avoidance propulsion system and method for orbiting satellites and other spacecraft takes advantage of ambient cosmic rays in space to catalyze micro-fusion events via particle-target fusion and muon-catalyzed fusion processes, using the reaction products to produce thrust upon orbiting satellites and other spacecraft. A supply of deuterium-containing particle fuel material is propelled in a specified direction of the spacecraft in response to indication of a potential collision with another space object (e.g. orbiting debris). In one embodiment, this may be performed by propellant gas expelling the fuel material through conduits to specified ports on the exterior of the spacecraft. The propelled material interacts with the ambient cosmic rays and muon generated from those cosmic rays to induce micro-fusion. A portion of the energetic reaction products (e.g. alpha particles) are received upon the spacecraft to alter its trajectory in a manner that avoids the potential collision.

A molten metal fuel to plasma to electricity power source and an element of a communication network that provides at least one of electrical and thermal power and a portal for transmission of information comprising (i) at least one reaction cell for the catalysis of atomic hydrogen to form hydrinos, (ii) a chemical fuel mixture comprising at least two components chosen from: a source of H.sub.2O catalyst or H.sub.2O catalyst; a source of atomic hydrogen or atomic hydrogen; reactants to form the source of H.sub.2O catalyst or H.sub.2O catalyst and a source of atomic hydrogen or atomic hydrogen; and a molten metal to cause the fuel to be highly conductive, (iii) a fuel injection system comprising an electromagnetic pump, (iv) at least one set of electrodes that confine the fuel and an electrical power source that provides repetitive short bursts of low-voltage, high-current electrical energy to initiate rapid kinetics of the hydrino reaction and an energy gain due to forming hydrinos to form a brilliant-light emitting plasma, (v) a product recovery system such as at least one of an electrode electromagnetic pump recovery system and a gravity recovery system, (vi) a source of H.sub.2O vapor supplied to the plasma (vii) a power converter capable of converting the high-power light output of the cell into electricity such as a concentrated solar power thermophotovoltaic device and a visible and infrared transparent window or a plurality of ultraviolet (UV) photovoltaic cells or a plurality of photoelectric cells, and a UV window, and (viii) a device capable of remote communication and capable of transmission of information wherein the device may be further capable of comprising a communication element of a plurality of communication elements of a plurality of power systems that are organized and controlled to form a communication network.

Asteroid redirection systems are provided that use cosmic ray and muon-catalyzed micro-fusion. These systems include a micro-fusion propulsion system providing thrust for redirecting an asteroid, as well as micro-fusion electrical generation powering an ion drive. The systems deploy deuterium-containing fuel material as a localized cloud interacting with incoming ambient cosmic rays to generate energetic fusion products. Dust or other particulate matter in the fuel material converts some cosmic rays into muons that also catalyze fusion. The fusion products provide thrusting upon the asteroid, or when produced near turbines facilitates electrical generation, which can then power an ion drive.