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reactor is limited by the fuel boiling point. The plasma core reactor can theoretically operate at arbitrarily high temperatures. In practice the temperature limit will be determined by the maximum fuel temperature for which the plasma containment chamber can be cooled below its melting point. The following are typical values of specific impulse (13,14) indicating the high performance that can be expected from a plasma reactor propulsion system.


                         TABLE 1

       THEORETICAL SPECIFIC IMPULSE, I    (seconds) sp

         Chemical Rocket                    400
         Solid Core Reactor                1000
         Liquid Core Reactor               2500
         Plasma Core Reactor               6500


         Although the present interest in plasma core reactors seems to be entirely concerned with rocket propulsion applications, the concept should not be considered as a single purpose device. Without specifying its application, a fissioning plasma embedded in a coolant plasma can be considered as a general energy conversion device. The high temperature coolant might be used in numerous open or closed cycle systems. Central station power plants operating with gas heat exchangers or directly driven gas turbines could utilize the plasma reactor as the energy source. When considering the maximum cycle