Palmer Quest : a feasible and valuable vision mission to the Mars polar caps
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Palmer Quest↗
Engineering topics
Poston, D. I.
Publications and source records attributed to Poston, D. I..
Mars mission concepts incorporating a 3 kWe surface fission power system
A team from JPL and the DOE has recently completed a study to investigate the utility of a 3 kWe surface fission power system for Mars missions. In the course of this study it became clear that the application of such a power system was enabling to a wide variety of potential surface missions.
nuclear reactor Mars Lander cryobot rover↗
Design concept for a nuclear reactor-powered Mars Rover
This paper describes the unique design challenges encountered in the development of this mission architecture and incorporation of the fission power system in the rover, and presents a detailed description of the final design of this innovative concept for providing long range, long duration mobility on Mars.
nuclear↗
Mission concept for a nuclear reactor-powered Mars cryobot lander
This paper describes the unique design challenges encountered in the development of this mission architecture and incorporation of the fission power system in the lander, and presents a detailed description of the final design of this trailblazing science mission.
nuclear↗
NEPTranS: a shuttle-tended NEP interplanetary transporation system
This paper discusses the preliminary design developed for the NEP Interplanetary Transfer Vehicle, including its configuration and design features, and outlines the concept for mission design, including discussion of unique requirements for launch, deployment and operations with the Space Shuttle, and rendezvous and servicing by the Shuttle in Earth orbit following a return from each target destination.
NEP↗
Engineering design aspects of the heat-pipe power system
The Heat-pipe Power System (HPS) is a near-term, low-cost space power system designed at Los Alamos that can provide up to 1,000 kWt for many space nuclear applications. The design of the reactor is simple, modular, and adaptable. The basic design allows for the use of a variety of power conversion systems and reactor materials (including the fuel, clad, and heat pipes). This paper describes a project that was undertaken to develop a database supporting many engineering aspects of the HPS design. The specific tasks discussed in this paper are: the development of an HPS materials database, the creation of finite element models that will allow a wide variety of investigations, and the verification of past calculations.
SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES↗
Heatpipe power system and heatpipe bimodal system design and development options
The Heatpipe Power System (HPS) is a potential, near-term, low-cost space fission power system. The Heatpipe Bimodal System (HBS) is a potential, near-term, low-cost space fission power and/or propulsion system. Both systems will be composed of independent modules, and all components operate within the existing databases. The HPS and HBS have relatively few system integration issues; thus, the successful development of a module is a significant step toward verifying system feasibility and performance estimates. A prototypic HPS module is being fabricated, and testing is scheduled to begin in November 1996. A successful test will provide high confidence that the HPS can achieve its predicted performance.
Space Propulsion Reactors↗