The ultimate goal of the project and the group is to establish a long term, sustainable plasma physics research lab at UVU. This project is to initiate that goal. The aim of this specific project, and the group associated with it is to design, build, test and explore the physics of magnetohydrodynamic rocket propulsion. The first year goals included building a vacuum system and field magnets with a plasma source using a magnetron as the heater and argon as the propellant. Modeling goals included the design optimization of the plasma chamber magnets using a single particle code to explore ion orbits in the device.

The rudimentary design calls for a vacuum chamber, roughing pump, turbo pump and vacuum gauges, 4 inch quartz tube, magnetron, two hand wound field magnets, high current dc power supply and argon delivery system. Hardware was purchased using Department of Physics funds and funds obtain in house through the UVU School of Science Scholarly Activities Committee.

Four students were awarded stipends totaling $5000 for work accomplished in initiating a new plasma physics and plasma rocket research group at UVU. A fifth worked with the group gratis.

The students met weekly with their faculty mentors. In each meeting students prepared special-topic presentations related to VASIMR and other electric and magnethydrodynamics propulsion systems. Plasma physics and other relevant tutorial topics were presented by the faculty mentors.

First year goals were essential met. The vacuum system, argon delivery system and magnetron systems were completed. Early testing was interrupted by an accidental short that destroyed the magnetron.