Editing Fusion rocket (section)

=== Magnetized target ===
[[Magnetized target fusion]] (MTF) is a relatively new approach that combines the best features of the more widely studied magnetic confinement fusion (i.e. good energy confinement) and inertial confinement fusion (i.e. efficient compression heating and wall free containment of the fusing plasma) approaches. Like the magnetic approach, the fusion fuel is confined at low density by magnetic fields while it is heated into a [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]], but like the inertial confinement approach, fusion is initiated by rapidly squeezing the target to dramatically increase fuel density, and thus temperature. MTF uses "plasma guns" (i.e. electromagnetic acceleration techniques) instead of powerful lasers, leading to low cost and low weight compact reactors.<ref name="magnetizedfusion">{{cite tech report |title=Magnetized Target Fusion in Advanced Propulsion Researc |last1=Cylar |first1=Rashad |publisher=[[Marshall Space Flight Center]]/[[University of Alabama]] |year=2002 |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20030093609/downloads/20030093609.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519175557/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20030093609/downloads/20030093609.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> The NASA/[[Marshall Space Flight Center|MSFC]] Human Outer Planets Exploration (HOPE) group has investigated a crewed MTF propulsion spacecraft capable of delivering a 164-tonne payload to Jupiter's moon [[Callisto (moon)|Callisto]] using 106-165 metric tons of propellant (hydrogen plus either D-T or D-He3 fusion fuel) in 249–330 days.<ref name="inspaceconcept">{{cite tech report |title=Conceptual Design of In-Space Vehicles for Human Exploration of the Outer Planets |last1=Adams |first1=R. B. |last2=Alexander |first2=R. A. |last3=Chapman |first3=J. M. |last4=Fincher |first4=S. S. |last5=Hopkins |first5=R. C. |last6=Philips |first6=A. D. |last7=Polsgrove |first7=T. T. |last8=Litchford |first8=R. J. |last9=Patton |first9=B. W. |last10=Statham |first10=G. |last11=White |first11=P. S. |last12=Thio |first12=Y. C. F. |publisher=[[Marshall Space Flight Center]], ERC Inc., [[United States Department of Energy]] |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20040010797/downloads/20040010797.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831124233/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20040010797/downloads/20040010797.pdf |archive-date=31 August 2023 |url-status=live |date=November 2003 |id=NASA/TP—2003–212691 }}</ref> This design would thus be considerably smaller and more fuel efficient due to its higher exhaust velocity (700&nbsp;km/s) than the previously mentioned "Discovery II", "VISTA" concepts.