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Schmidt, George

Publications and source records attributed to Schmidt, George.

16 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Electric propulsion (EP) is an important technology for NASA. It has played a major role on three missions, namely Deep Space 1, Dawn and Space Technology 7, and it is planned for use on many more. The ion propulsion system for the ongoing Dawn mission has achieved several notable accomplishments, including providing a total velocity change (delta-V) of over 11 km/s to the spacecraft. As a result of these successes, solar electric propulsion (SEP) is now broadly recognized as an essential technology for both robotic and human exploration. NASA is currently conducting many projects focused on research and development of EP for a variety of applications. All three of NASA's mission directorates that deal directly with space exploration are actively engaged in supporting work in this area. This paper describes these projects in more detail, including the specific engineering activities being conducted at NASA's main centers for EP technology development, namely Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Schmidt, George↗
NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Electric propulsion (EP) is an important technology for NASA. It has played a major role on three missions, namely Deep Space 1, Dawn and Space Technology 7, and it is planned for use on many more. The ion propulsion system for the ongoing Dawn mission has achieved several notable accomplishments, including providing a total velocity change (delta-V) of over 11 km/s to the spacecraft. As a result of these successes, solar electric propulsion (SEP) is now broadly recognized as an essential technology for both robotic and human exploration. NASA is currently conducting many projects focused on research and development of EP for a variety of applications. All three of NASA's mission directorates that deal directly with space exploration are actively engaged in supporting work in this area. This paper describes these projects in more detail, including the specific engineering activities being conducted at NASA's main centers for EP technology development, namely Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Schmidt, George↗
NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Electric propulsion (EP) is an important technology for NASA. It has played a major role on three missions, that is Deep Space 1, Dawn and Space Technology 7, and it is planned for use on many more. The ion propulsion system for the ongoing Dawn mission has achieved several notable accomplishments, including providing a total velocity change (delta-V) of over 11 km/s to the spacecraft. As a result of these successes, solar electric propulsion (SEP) is now broadly recognized as an essential technology for both robotic and human exploration. NASA is currently conducting many projects focused on research and development of EP for a variety of applications. All three of NASA's mission directorates that deal directly with space exploration are actively engaged in supporting work in this area. This paper describes these projects in more detail, including the specific engineering activities being conducted at NASA's main centers for EP technology development, namely Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Schmidt, George↗
NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Electric propulsion (EP) is an important technology for NASA. It has played a major role on three missions, that is Deep Space 1, Dawn and Space Technology 7, and it is planned for use on many more. The ion propulsion system for the ongoing Dawn mission has achieved several notable accomplishments, including providing a total velocity change (delta-V) of over 11 km/s to the spacecraft. As a result of these successes, solar electric propulsion (SEP) is now broadly recognized as an essential technology for both robotic and human exploration. NASA is currently conducting many projects focused on research and development of EP for a variety of applications. All three of NASA's mission directorates that deal directly with space exploration are actively engaged in supporting work in this area. This paper describes these projects in more detail, including the specific engineering activities being conducted at NASA's main centers for EP technology development, namely Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Schmidt, George↗
NASA NTRS2018

Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA

Electric propulsion (EP) is an important technology for NASA. It has played a major role on three missions, that is Deep Space 1, Dawn and Space Technology 7, and it is planned for use on many more. The ion propulsion system for the ongoing Dawn mission has achieved several notable accomplishments, including providing a total velocity change (V) of over 11 km/s to the spacecraft. As a result of these successes, solar electric propulsion (SEP) is now broadly recognized as an essential technology for both robotic and human exploration. NASA is currently conducting many projects focused on research and development of EP for a variety of applications. All three of NASA’s mission directorates that deal directly with space exploration are actively engaged in supporting work in this area. This paper describes these projects in more detail, including the specific engineering activities being conducted at NASA’s main centers for EP technology development, namely Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Hofer, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2017

Overview of the Development of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS)

NASA is committed to the demonstration and application of high-power solar electric propulsion to meet its future mission needs. It is continuing to develop the 14 kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) under a project that recently completed an Early Integrated System Test (EIST) and System Preliminary Design Review (PDR). In addition, NASA is pursuing external partnerships in order to demonstrate Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technology and the advantages of high-power electric propulsion-based spacecraft. The recent announcement of a Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) as the first major piece of an evolvable human architecture to Mars has replaced the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) as the most likely first application of the AEPS Hall thruster system. This high-power SEP capability, or an extensible derivative of it, has been recognized as a critical part of a new, affordable human exploration architecture for missions beyond-low-Earth-orbit. This paper presents the status of AEPS development activities, and describes how AEPS hardware will be integrated into the PPE ion propulsion system.

Herman, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS2017

Current Status of NASA's NEXT-C Ion Propulsion System Development Project

NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) is a 7-kW class gridded ion thruster-based propulsion system that was initially developed from 2002 to 2012 under NASAs In-Space Propulsion Technology Program to meet future science mission requirements. In 2015, a contract was awarded to Aerojet Rocketdyne, with subcontractor ZIN Technologies, to design, build and test two NEXT flight thrusters and two power processing units that would be available for use on future NASA science missions. Because an additional goal of this contract is to take steps towards offering NEXT as a commercialized system, it is called the NEXT-Commercial project, or NEXT-C. This paper reviews the capabilities of the NEXT-C system, status of the NEXT-C project, and the forward plan to build, test, and deliver flight hardware in support of future NASA and commercial applications. It also briefly addresses some of the potential applications that could utilize the hardware developed and built by the project.

Shastry, Rohit↗
NASA NTRS2017

Development of the European Service Module Propulsion Subsystem for the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle

2013, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) entered into an international partnership to develop the European Service Module (ESM) for use on NASA's Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), also known as Orion. The MPCV will be used as the principal spacecraft for future human space exploration missions beyond low earth orbit. The ESM Propulsion Subsystem (PSS) is a pressure-fed, bi-propellant propulsion system, being developed by Airbus Defense and Space under contract to ESA. For this effort, NASA is responsible for the traditional role of insight/oversight to ensure that the PSS delivered by Airbus meets all MPCV Program requirements. In addition, the NASA Propulsion team also has some unique responsibilities that are a result of the Implementing Agreement (IA) between NASA and ESA for development of the ESM. These responsibilities include: (1) providing the main engine and Thrust Vector Control (TVC) assembly for the PSS. This is being accomplished through the delta qualification and re-use the Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engine and TVC assembly; (2) procurement and delivery of the Auxiliary engines (R-4Ds) for the PSS. These engines are being procured by NASA from Aerojet-Rocketdyne via Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the MPCV, per an Airbus-provided specification; and (3) conducting the integrated systems hot-fire test which will qualify the end-to-end PSS for flight on MPCV. This test is being conducted at the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) using an Airbus-provided test article known as the Propulsion Qualification Model (PQM).

Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle↗
NASA NTRS2017

State of the NASA Aeropropulsion Discipline Input from the Glenn Research Center

PROBLEM: Current power turbines are designed for single operating speed, and performance degrades rapidly as power turbine speed decreases. OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate 50 improvement in efficient operational capability using a Variable Speed Power Turbine concept. (Refer to figure lower left, where the goal is to raise efficiency from the current technology line to the green line which represents the AVSPOT VSPT goal.APPROACH: Conduct RD required to advance the technology readiness level of VSPT technology to TRL 4Partner with DoD and leverage DOD AVSPOT contract to share government cost (5050) of contracted efforts to GE and PW for VSPT TRL 45 demonstration.

power turbine↗
NASA NTRS2008

Radioisotope Power: A Key Technology for Deep Space Exploration

A Radioisotope Power System (RPS) generates power by converting the heat released from the nuclear decay of radioactive isotopes, such as Plutonium-238 (Pu-238), into electricity. First used in space by the U.S. in 1961, these devices have enabled some of the most challenging and exciting space missions in history, including the Pioneer and Voyager probes to the outer solar system; the Apollo lunar surface experiments; the Viking landers; the Ulysses polar orbital mission about the Sun; the Galileo mission to Jupiter; the Cassini mission orbiting Saturn; and the recently launched New Horizons mission to Pluto. Radioisotopes have also served as a versatile heat source for moderating equipment thermal environments on these and many other missions, including the Mars exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The key advantage of RPS is its ability to operate continuously, independent of orientation and distance relative to the Sun. Radioisotope systems are long-lived, rugged, compact, highly reliable, and relatively insensitive to radiation and other environmental effects. As such, they are ideally suited for missions involving long-lived, autonomous operations in the extreme conditions of space and other planetary bodies. This paper reviews the history of RPS for the U.S. space program. It also describes current development of a new Stirling cycle-based generator that will greatly expand the application of nuclear-powered missions in the future.

Schmidt, George↗
NASA NTRS2001

Progress In Magnetized Target Fusion Driven by Plasma Liners

Magnetized target fusion (MTF) attempts to combine the favorable attributes of magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) for energy confinement with the attributes of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) for efficient compression heating and wall-free containment of the fusing plasma. It uses a material liner to compress and contain a magnetized plasma. For practical applications, standoff drivers to deliver the imploding momentum flux to the target plasma remotely are required. Spherically converging plasma jets have been proposed as standoff drivers for this purpose. The concept involves the dynamic formation of a spherical plasma liner by the merging of plasma jets, and the use of the liner so formed to compress a spheromak or a field reversed configuration (FRC).

Thio, Francis Y. C.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Magnetized Target Fusion Driven by Plasma Liners

Magnetized target fusion (MTF) attempts to combine the favorable attributes of magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) for energy confinement with the attributes of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) for efficient compression heating and wall-free containment of the fusing plasma. It uses a material liner to compress and contain a magnetized plasma. For practical applications, standoff drivers to deliver the imploding momentum flux to the target plasma remotely are required. Spherically converging plasma jets have been proposed as standoff drivers for this purpose. The concept involves the dynamic formation of a spherical plasma liner by the merging of plasma jets, and the use of the liner so formed to compress a spheromak or a field reversed configuration (FRC). For the successful implementation of the scheme, plasma jets of the requisite momentum flux density need to be produced. Their transport over sufficiently large distances (a few meters) needs to be assured. When they collide and merge into a liner, relative differences in velocity, density and temperature of the jets could give rise to instabilities in the development of the liner. Variation in the jet properties must be controlled to ensure that the growth rate of the instabilities are not significant over the time scale of the liner formation before engaging with the target plasma. On impact with the target plasma, some plasma interpenetration might occur between the liner and the target. The operating parameter space needs to be identified to ensure that a reasonably robust and conducting contact surface is formed between the liner and the target. A mismatch in the "impedance" between the liner and the target plasma could give rise to undesirable shock heating of the liner leading to increased entropy (thermal losses) in the liner. Any irregularities in the liner will accentuate the Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities during the compression of the target plasma by the liner.

Thio, Y. C. Francis↗
NASA NTRS2000

Atomic-Based-Combined-Cycle Analysis

Atomic-based-combined-cycle (ABCC) engine combines an air-breathing ramjet engine with an atomic reactor to increase the mission-averaged specific impulse and thereby increasing the dry-mass ratio. ABCC engine is similar to RBCC engine except that energy needed for the propulsive power is derived from nuclear reaction rather than chemical combustion used in the RBCC engine. The potential performance improvement of an ABCC engine over a RBCC engine comes from two factors. Firstly, the energy density of nuclear reaction is several order of magnitudes higher than the chemical combustion. Secondly, hydrogen can produce much higher nozzle exit velocity because of its small molecular weight. A one-dimensional, transient numerical model was used to analyze a generic scramjet engine and it is used as a baseline to evaluate an imaginary ABCC engine performance. A nuclear reactor is treated as a black box energy source that replaces the role of the primary rocket and the chemical combustion chamber in a RBCC engine. Hydrogen is heated by the reactor and accelerated to produce high-speed ejection velocity. The ejection velocity up 10,000 m/sec is theoretically possible because of high energy density from the reactor and large gas constant of the hydrogen. Oxygen contained in the entrained air reacts with hydrogen and produces propulsive power for ejector mode operation. To provide enough thrust for initial acceleration, relatively large amount of hydrogen must be pumped through the reactor. Amount of oxygen contained in the entrained air may not be sufficient to burn all hydrogen and consequently combustion could occur at the end of exit nozzle. It is assumed that this combustion process is constant-pressure combustion at 1.0 atmospheric pressure and thus not affects the nozzle exit condition.

Han, Sam↗
NASA NTRS1999

Propulsion Research and Technology: Overview

Propulsion is unique in being the main delimiter on how far and how fast one can travel in space. It is the lack of truly economical high-performance propulsion systems that continues to limit and restrict the extent of human endeavors in space. Therefore the goal of propulsion research is to conceive and investigate new, revolutionary propulsion concepts. This presentation reviews the development of new propulsion concepts. Some of these concepts are: (1) Rocket-based Combined Cycle (RBCC) propulsion, (2) Alternative combined Cycle engines suc2 as the methanol ramjet , and the liquid air cycle engines, (3) Laser propulsion, (4) Maglifter, (5) pulse detonation engines, (6) solar thermal propulsion, (7) multipurpose hydrogen test bed (MHTB) and other low-G cryogenic fluids, (8) Electric propulsion, (9) nuclear propulsion, (10) Fusion Propulsion, and (11) Antimatter technology. The efforts of the NASA centers in this research is also spotlighted.

Cole, John↗
NASA NTRS1990

Applying real-time operations to integrate and evaluate Space Station Freedom design

During its 30 year lifetime, Space Station Freedom will provide unique opportunities for a variety of research, commercial and space exploration activities. The diversity of Freedom's on-orbit operations and the partitioning of the spacecraft's flight elements and systems requires consideration of operations early in the design development. This paper presents a method for defining a structured relationship between Space Station Freedom real-time operations and system functionality, and discusses how this relationship can be used when evaluating the spacecraft design.

Schmidt, George↗