Dr. Jason Cassibry is a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and a leading voice in the global effort to push the frontiers of advanced propulsion, fusion energy, and space exploration systems. With expertise spanning magneto-inertial fusion, high-voltage pulsed power, nuclear propulsion, and artificial gravity research, he has built a career on addressing some of the most difficult challenges in human spaceflight.

Through his leadership of the Charger Advanced Power Propulsion (CAPP) Laboratory, Cassibry and his students are charting new territory in both propulsion physics and astronaut health, making essential contributions toward enabling long-duration crewed missions beyond Earth orbit.

Nuclear Thermal Rockets: Reviving and Reinventing a Classic Idea

One major focus of Cassibry’s research has been Nuclear Thermal Rockets (NTRs), a concept with roots in the 1960s but with fresh relevance in today’s renewed space age. Unlike chemical rockets, which burn propellant for thrust, NTRs use a nuclear reactor to heat hydrogen to extreme temperatures, expelling it through a nozzle to achieve twice the efficiency of chemical systems.

Cassibry has been at the forefront of modern NTR research, exploring advanced designs like the centrifugal nuclear thermal rocket, which promises improved reactor stability and efficiency. His studies, such as those published in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society and Nuclear Technology, analyze the mission architectures that NTRs could unlock—dramatically reducing travel times to Mars and even enabling robotic missions to the outer planets.

For Cassibry, NTR research isn’t just about optimizing propulsion—it’s about reclaiming and modernizing a technology once abandoned, proving its feasibility with 21st-century materials and computational tools, and demonstrating its potential role in NASA’s long-term exploration strategy.

Plasma Jet Driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion: A Pathway to Starship Propulsion

If NTRs are about near-term advances, Plasma Jet Driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion (PJMIF) represents Cassibry’s vision for the farther horizon: propulsion powerful enough for true interplanetary—and possibly interstellar—missions.

PJMIF is an innovative approach to fusion energy that seeks to combine the advantages of inertial confinement fusion (using rapid compression) with magnetic confinement (stabilizing plasma with magnetic fields). In this scheme, dozens or even hundreds of plasma jets are fired inward in unison, converging on a fusion target. The resulting implosion compresses and heats the plasma to the point of fusion, with magnetic fields helping contain the reaction long enough to release useful energy.

At UAH, Cassibry has modeled and analyzed PJMIF as both a fusion energy system for Earth and as a fusion propulsion system for spacecraft. With orders-of-magnitude higher energy density than chemical or nuclear thermal systems, PJMIF could theoretically power fast human missions to the outer planets—or even enable probes to other star systems within human lifetimes.

His work has included detailed numerical simulations of plasma behavior, system designs for spacecraft integration, and feasibility studies exploring how PJMIF might one day become a cornerstone of human expansion into deep space.

Artificial Gravity Through Dielectrophoresis

Alongside these propulsion-focused efforts, Cassibry is also addressing another critical challenge of spaceflight: the biological toll of microgravity on astronauts. Through high-voltage dielectrophoresis, his team at the CAPP Lab has already demonstrated the ability to generate up to 1/3 of Earth’s gravity on everyday materials like wood, glass, and plastic.

Using equipment capable of producing up to 400 kV and powered by Sparky—the lab’s custom-built 60,000 Joule pulse power machine—the team hopes to refine this approach toward generating a full 1g equivalent. Success in this domain could offer astronauts an elegant, non-mechanical way to counteract bone loss, muscle atrophy, and cardiovascular decline during multi-year missions.

Cassibry’s artificial gravity research reflects his broader philosophy: solving the engineering bottlenecks that stand between humanity and safe, sustainable exploration of deep space.

Humans and AI: Partners in the Spacefaring Future

Throughout his work, Cassibry emphasizes that while artificial intelligence and robotics will undoubtedly play critical roles in exploration, the human mind remains irreplaceable. From creative problem-solving to rapid adaptation, he envisions a collaborative human-AI partnership as essential for overcoming the unpredictable challenges of interplanetary travel.

Inspiring and Training the Next Generation

Perhaps one of Cassibry’s greatest legacies will be his role as a mentor and educator. At UAH, he trains graduate and undergraduate students in propulsion physics, plasma science, and fusion energy research, preparing them for careers in aerospace, advanced energy, and beyond. His lab is not only a site of groundbreaking discovery but also a proving ground for the engineers who will design the next generation of spacecraft and power systems.

Looking Forward

From the near-term promise of Nuclear Thermal Rockets to the transformative potential of fusion propulsion, and from artificial gravity solutions to the training of future innovators, Dr. Jason Cassibry’s research portfolio represents a multi-pronged strategy for unlocking the space frontier. His work underscores a simple truth: humanity’s journey into the cosmos will require not one breakthrough, but many—and thanks to leaders like Cassibry, those breakthroughs are already taking shape in the laboratory.

The future of human spaceflight may very well depend on the fusion of ideas—nuclear, plasma, and electric—driven by visionaries who refuse to accept today’s limits as tomorrow’s boundaries.

Links:

• Faculty Page at University of Alabama, Huntsville