Dynamic Radioisotope Power Systems Development and Potential First Mission Utilization
A one slide presentation/poster on Dynamic RPS development and potential utilization.
Oriti, S.↗
Engineering topics
Hickman, M.
Publications and source records attributed to Hickman, M..
(abstract) A Solar Electric Propulsion Mission to the Moon and Beyond!
The technological development of solar electric propulsion has advanced significantly over the last few years. Mission planners are now seriously studying which missions would benefit most from solar electric propulsion (SEP) and NASA's Solar System Exploration Division is contributing funding to ground and space qualification tests. In response to the impending release of NASA's Announcement of Opportunity for Discovery class planetary missions, we have undertaken a pre-Phase A study of a SEP mission to the Moon. This mission will not only return a wealth of new scientific data but will open up a whole new era of planetary exploration.
solar electric propulsion SEP Moon↗
Maximizing the Scientific Return of Low Cost Planetary Missions Using Solar Electric Propulsion(abstract)
After many years of development, solar electric propulsion is now a practical low cost alternative for many planetary missions. In response to the recent Discovery AO, we and a number of colleagues have examined the scientific return from a missioon to map the Moon and then rendezvous with a small body. In planning this mission, we found that solar electric propulsion was quite affordable under the Discovery guidelines, that many targets could be reached more rapidly with solar electric propulsion than chemical propulsion, that a large number of planetary bodies were accessible with modest propulsion systems, and that such missions were quite adaptable, with generous launch windows which minimized mission risks. Moreover, solar electric propulsion is ideally suited for large payloads requiring a large amount of power.
solar electric propulsion low cost missions ion th↗