Microwave-powered Satellites
(SFX: microwave sounds) 
     MICROWAVES DEFROST YOUR FROZEN DINNERS, ZAP YOUR MORNING COFFEE . . .
AND MOVE SATELLITES. WELL, THEY DON'T MOVE SATELLITES YET, BUT MICHAEL MICCI
WOULD like TO SEE IT HAPPEN. SATELLITES NEED HOT FUEL T MOVE around AND STAY IN
POSITION.  AFTER THEY RUN OUT OF FUEL--USUALLY SOME 10 -15 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD
THEY'RE USELESS, EVEN IF THE REST OF THE SATELLITE STILL WORKS.  BUT THE HOTTER THE
FUEL, THE MORE ENERGY THE SATELLITE CAN GET OUT OF IT AND THE LONGER THE FUEL
WILL LAST. 

     Micci: "You go in to the laws of physics governing the operation of a rocket motor
it turns out that the hotte ryou can heat the propellent in the chamber the faster you can
get it to come out of the nozzle and thereofre the more thrust you can get for the same
maount of propellent."

AND MICROWAVES ARE OBVIOUSLY GREAT AT GETTING THINGS REALLY HOT.
     Micci: "We're heating the gas to extermely hightemperatures on the order of
approximately 20,000 degrees F and you don't get anywhere near thayou're heating
foodi n a moicrowveoven. . . so we've changed the electrical circuitry . . . in order to
concentrate the power of the microwaves in a very small location a very small spot and
therefore we can get extremely high gas temperatures at that point. "

     BY AIMING IT AT ONE SPOT, MICCI CAN HEAT UPT HE FUEL TO SCORCHING
TEMPERATURES.  MICCI'S PROTOTYPE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT'S CURRENTLY TESTING
MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY. HE HOPES TO BE ABLE TO ENTICE SOMEONE TO TRY IT IN
SPACE SOON.

     Micci: "We've shown that we can obtain about double the performance of a
chemical rocket."