A micro-fusion powered craft has a centrally located internal chamber with an upper dome and a bottom opening. The chamber is radially surrounding by the main body of the craft. Ports from a fuel supply in the main body inject a deuterium-containing micro-fusion fuel material as a dispersed cloud within the chamber. Ambient cosmic rays and muons penetrate the upper dome into the chamber and interact with the fuel to produce energetic reaction products. The downwardly directed portion of the reaction products exist the chamber through the bottom opening to produce upward reaction thrust, while the upwardly directed portion of the reaction products are stopped by the upper dome to produce applied upward thrust. The craft may have one or more side ports for dispersing fuel material externally in a desired direction that reacts with ambient cosmic rays and muons to produce reaction products, at least some of which are received by a side of the craft to produce lateral thrust.

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 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.

Ocean water and/or heavy water will be utilized as fuel to derive fusion energy. Utilizing multiple coiled, triple-axis systems, shall produce magnetic flux densities from 10.sup.6 Gauss to 10.sup.21 Gauss as derived from mc.sup.2=BvLq (Jacobson Resonance). Matter may be cajoled, such as deuterons and protons to fuse, thereby providing energy. This energy will be withdrawn for conversion of heat energy to electricity.

A nuclear fusion system comprises: a muon generation unit to generate negative muons including electron and positron accelerators for generating electron and positron beams; a gas supply unit to supply to circulate gaseous deuterium or gaseous deuterium-tritium mixture as raw material gas; a Laval nozzle to accelerate the raw material gas to supersonic velocity; and a shock wave cone connected to the Laval nozzle to introduce the raw material gas accelerated to supersonic velocity to generate an oblique shock wave, the raw material gas accelerated to supersonic velocity being introduced into the shock wave cone to generate the oblique shock wave, the oblique shock wave being decelerated to create a high-density gas target in an in-flight manner, the muons generated as a result of causing electrons and positrons to collide with each other being introduced into the high-density gas target thereby to cause a muon-catalyzed nuclear fusion reaction to occur.

An apparatus for generating muons, comprising: a hydrogen accumulator including an inlet; an outlet separated from the inlet by a flow path; a hydrogen transfer catalyst arranged along the flow path; and an accumulating member for receiving hydrogen in ultra-dense state from the outlet at a receiving portion of the accumulating member and accumulating the hydrogen in the ultra-dense state at an accumulation portion of the accumulating member. The accumulating member has a downward sloping surface from the receiving portion to the accumulation portion. The apparatus further includes a field source, such as a laser, arranged to provide, to the accumulation portion of the accumulating member, a field adapted to stimulate emission of negative muons from hydrogen in the ultra-dense state. The apparatus further includes a specially designed barrier and a shield to retain the super-fluid ultra-dense hydrogen from creeping away from the accumulation portion of the generator.

A spaceplane and hybrid reaction engine employ micro-fusion enhanced propulsion in the presence of ambient cosmic rays and muons in the upper atmosphere at altitudes greater than 20 km. The reaction engines for the spaceplane may be of different types operable in different speed and altitude regimes, but at least one engine type incorporates a supply of deuterium-containing micro-fusion fuel that can be injected into the fuel mix along with the primary chemical fuel or into the exhaust in the nozzle section. The energetic fusion products from particle-target and/or muon-catalyzed fusion provide supplemental thrust for the spaceplane.

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.

Cosmic ray and muon-catalyzed micro-fusion electrical generation provides electrical power for mining operations, including any asteroid habitats and mining equipment. The micro-fusion generator 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, in the localized cloud, and in the space surrounding the asteroid being mined converts some cosmic rays into muons that also catalyze fusion. The fusion products drive turbines to facilitate the electrical generation.