The purpose of this paper is to describe the cost implications to manned Mars missions when a nuclear thermal combined propulsion and power unit is used for main propulsion and mission power. This report summarizes status results of evaluations of small nuclear reactor designs suitable for direct nuclear thermal propulsion. Although a number of fast spectrum reactor and engine designs suitable for direct nuclear thermal propulsion were proposed and designed, none were built. The General Electric program examined closed loop concepts for space or terrestrial applications as well as open loop systems for direct nuclear thermal propulsion. The GE-710 and ANL programs focused on an alternative ceramic-metallic 'cermet' fuel type consisting of UO2 (or UN) fuel embedded in a refractory metal matrix such as tungsten. Reactors and engines employing these fuels were designed, built, and ground tested. Research, development, and testing of high temperature graphite fuels was conducted. The primary and significantly larger Rover/NERVA program focused on graphite type fuels. Both graphite and refractory metal alloy fuel types were pursued. An extensive nuclear thermal rocket technology development effort was conducted under the Rover/NERVA, GE-710 and ANL nuclear rocket programs (1955-1973). The recently announced national space policy2 supports the development and use of space nuclear power systems where such systems safely enable or significantly enhance space exploration or operational capabilities. symposium on space nuclear power systems, Albuquerque, NM (USA), 6- Journal ID: ISSN 0094-243X Country of Publication: United States Language: English Subject: 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS BRAYTON CYCLE POWER SYSTEMS DESIGN SPACE POWER REACTORS ELECTRIC POWER GAS COOLED REACTORS MARS SPACE PROBES POWER GENERATION ENERGY SYSTEMS MOBILE REACTORS POWER POWER REACTORS POWER SYSTEMS REACTORS SPACE VEHICLES VEHICLES NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems 220800* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Propulsion = 900 s) capability, increased tolerance to payload mass growth and architecture changes, and lower total initial mass in low Earth orbit.
Publication Date: Tue Jan 01 00:00: OSTI Identifier: 5702527 Report Number(s): CONF-910116- Journal ID: ISSN 0094-243X CODEN: APCPC Resource Type: Conference Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics) (USA) Additional Journal Information: Journal Volume: 217:1 Conference: 8. Westinghouse Electric Corporation Advanced Energy Systems P.O Box 158 Madison, PA 15663-0158 (US)."This result means air-breathing electric propulsion is no longer simply a theory but a tangible, working concept, ready to be developed, to serve one day as the basis of a new class of missions," Louis Walpot, an ESA aerospace engineer, said in a statement.
#Helium electric propulsion series
Through a series of tests, they proved they could ignite the system using solely an atmospheric mix of nitrogen and oxygen. The group set up a vacuum chamber at the SITAEL's test facility in Italy to replicate conditions 200 kilometers (124 miles) above Earth's surface. This ejection of ions is what causes thrust.Īfter running a number of successful computer simulations, the team decided it was time to test their thruster in the physical world.
Finally, it ejects the ionized molecules back out into space. Then, it gives those molecules an electric charge and accelerates them. It works by sucking in air molecules from the top of Earth's atmosphere. While ABEP is not a new concept, the ESA's prototype is the first of its kind.
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