2026-10-09 Internet Archive (Wayback) for the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) archive

Method: Wayback CDX prefix query on niac.usra.edu/files/studies/final_report/ (706 URLs), grep "Marchese"; found 752Marchese.pdf. Downloaded https://web.archive.org/web/2005id_/http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/studies/final_report/752Marchese.pdf (files/NIAC-752-Marchese-BlackLight-Rocket-Engine-2002.pdf).

Document [read: p.1-4]: "The BlackLight Rocket Engine", NIAC CP 01-02 Phase I Final Report, 1 May to 30 November 2002, Anthony J. Marchese (Mechanical Engineering), Peter Jansson (Electrical and Computer Engineering), John L. Schmalzel (chair, ECE), College of Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro NJ. Executive summary: several groups reported excessive Balmer line broadening ("fast hydrogen") and non-Boltzmann populations in mixed-gas hydrogen plasmas; BLP reported preferential Doppler broadening, inverted Balmer populations, novel VUV spectra and water-bath calorimetry excess heat; "Regardless of the theoretical explanation, the experimental data suggests that these plasma systems have unique characteristics that warrant further exploration for propulsion applications." Phase I built two thrusters (a BlackLight Plasma Thruster and a microwave version), a vacuum test chamber, and a Doppler-shift exhaust-velocity method benchmarked with a 1 kW arcjet lent by NASA Glenn.

Bearing: priority 2 and 4 (a NASA-funded study by university engineers of the plasma form of claim 2; a federal programme record). Next: whether a Phase II was proposed or refused; the results sections (pp.15-30) on measured line broadening and thrust.