Forum | LM engine?

Firstly, just so you are aware, I have moved your post here from its original location, which was in the forum dedicated to the service module engine.  This forum is dedicated to the lunar lander engine.

Secondly, can you be more specific about this vashmir engine?  I have tried googling "vashmir engine", "vashmir motor", "vashmir rocket", "vashmir thruster", etc. and there seems to be a complete lack of information about it on the web.  Is this an actual existing technology?  The only reference I found to it was in a forum discussing project Orion.  If vashmir is based on the idea of using nuclear explosions for propulsion then obviously it is completely inappropriate for a lunar lander (or any other part of CLLARE).

Aah, that would explain why I couldn't find any links.

Not only is this system inappropriate for a lunar lander due to thrust reasons, it's also very far from simple.  One of our main guiding design principles is to use the simplest thing that could possibly work at all times.  Deviations from simplicity need to be justified by genuine engineering concerns, and I certainly can't see a justification for building what looks to essentially be a small linear particle acclerator where a chemical rocket has been demonstrated to work fine, especially since we will already by necessity be building (and hence learning a lot about) chemical rockets.