Orion Pulse Unit Design Chart An Orion’s Arm future history Image. Chart describes advances in pulse unit design for pulsed plasma rockets. Designs span the transition from shaped charge devices (for conventional flat-disc pusher plate assemblies) to spherical geometry devices suitable for parabolic pusher plate systems. The first unit is a scaled up recreation of the 10-meter USAF design – modeling effort inspired by Scott Lowther’s post referenced below. Recently Physicist Friedwardt Winterberg, University of Nevada, published a paper describing a nuclear explosive that uses chemical explosives (HMX, specifically) to drive a Deuterium-tritium fusion reaction, without the use of a fission element. If it could be made to work the application benefit for Orion is a reduction in the weight/bulk of the impulse charge load. Further mass reduction would be possible by replacing some of the HMX with Metastable Solid Metallic Hydrogen – a technology the Martians master by the +255 year mark on my Orion’s Arm Future History Timeline. With (a theoretical) energy release of 216megajoule/kilogram (compared to HMX = 5.7 Mj/kg), only 2.6 percent as much metallic hydrogen would be needed. With a density of about 0.9 gm.cm^3, about 5.5% the volume of HMX converted to metallic hydrogen provides the same bang along with an additional weight/bulk savings. Credit is due to Scott Lowther & his Unwanted Blog which never ceases to inspire. Reference links below. Let's Design An Atom Bomb Fission-free fusion Hybrid Chemical-Nuclear Convergent Shock Wave High Gain Magnetized Target Fusion All models are my own creations constructed in Bryce 6.3 and rendered in Bryce 7 Pro. As always thank you for your interest, thoughtful comments, and encouragement.