Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Mueller, J..
A T-100-3 Russian Hall plasma thruster, xenon flow control unit (XFCU) and US xenon propellant subsystem developed for the RHETT-1 propulsion system are described. The propellant system includes a pressure regulator, on/off valves, service valve and high/low pressure transducers, built to flight-like standards and assembled onto a mounting plate structure. ...
A 15-cm diameter, scaled-down version of the NASA light-weight 30-cm ion engine has been developed for potential application to very small planetary spacecraft. Integration of the 15-cm ion source into 4x15-cm segmented engine configuration results in a 30-cm equivalent engine which can be throttled over a 7-to-1 input power variation with a constant beam current in each of the four segments. Throttling the segmented engine by turning off individual segments can result in a significant decrease in the required service life (and qualification requirements) of the ion source components.
Following the idea of a fundamental station, the Wettzell Laser Ranging Station was designed to range to all types of satellites and to the moon. After obtaining the first lunar echos in October 1990, the system's operation was improved. A short report of lunar ranging activities is given.