EARTHLY TASKS DONE BY A STELLAR SUBSTANCE

The historical development of the plasma engine is discussed. Scientists are said to feel that techniques for developing a thermonuclear reaction in plasma are still in their infancy and that many problems have yet to be solved; however, sooner or later controlled thermonnuclear reactions will provide man with an unlimited energy supply. The temperature of plasma can be changed; it has been proved theoretically that this temperature change can vary from one thousand to tens of thousands of degrees, and plasma power from one kw to millions of kw. The use of plasma in reaction engines was initiated in 1964 in the Soviet Zond-2 spacecraft. Terrestrial plasma has opened promising prospects in the conquest of outer space, and, according to Academician V. Kirillin, the Soviet Union will be able to start building industrial magnetohydrodynamic stations by 1970.
Edited trans. of Nauchno-Tekhnicheskie Obshchestva SSSR, v7 n11 p18-21 1965, by E. Harter.