A nuclear-electric spacebus for planetary landing missions.
Spacebus, utilizing nuclear turboelectric propulsion, for landing scientific capsules on mars, venus and mercury
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Spacebus, utilizing nuclear turboelectric propulsion, for landing scientific capsules on mars, venus and mercury
Problems associated with a cerium-144 radioisotope electrostatic propulsion system, such as radiation hazards, fuel availability, and spacecraft design
Nuclear-electric spacebus for planetary landing missions
The aim of the NASA nuclear electric power program is to provide long-lived reliable nuclear power sources in the range from tens of watts to tens of megawatts for advanced missions. The work is conducted in corporation with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission which is developing isotope power sources and the reactor for the SNAP-8 project. Isotopes are considered for missions requiring up to several hundred watts of power. SNAP-8 will provide about 35 to 60 kilowatts for missions requiring tens of kilowatts and lifetimes of about one year. SNAP-8 has been redesigned to emphasize reliability and performance. This decision permits many components to operate at lower, more nearly state-of-the -art temperatures at the sacrifice of greater cooling requirements and increased weight. Beyond SNAP-8, an extensive applied research program has been conducted since 1959 to provide the technology required for the sound development of light weight nuclear electric systems in the megawatt range for lifetimes of up to several years. The work is accomplished in university, industrial and government laboratories.
Of the various nuclear-energy systems that have been proposed, major program emphasis is being placed on the development of nuclear rockets and nuclear electric propulsion systems. I discussed these programs at the First Conference for the Peaceful Uses of Space in Tulsa in 1961; the purpose of this paper is to update that presentation and give a review and a status report of the nuclear-systems programs being conducted for the space effort.
Electrostatic propulsion system with a direct nuclear electrogenerator
Description of nasa nuclear electric power program with special emphasis on power supplies in the surveyor program and the snap 8 project
Nuclear and electric propulsion concepts for space systems in terms of weight-power ratios
Temperature control engineering of nuclear- electric spacecraft
Design, development, and testing of ground prototype ac circuit breakers and dc engine contactors for space nuclear electric system
Space propulsion systems including solid core nuclear rockets, electric propulsion thrustors and nuclear electric generators
Nuclear-electric spacecraft configurations for Jupiter mission discussing radiation shielding, heat rejection radiator, spacecraft structure, etc
Discussion of research and development efforts in electric propulsion systems, emphasizing the payload capability of nuclear-electric spacecraft
Some of the conditions and methods of control and guidance for a nuclear-electric spacecraft are discussed in general terms. The type of spacecraft considered is propelled by an ion motor. The broad aspects of the flight trajectory peculiar to this type of propulsion are examined. Some equipment limitations are reviewed.
Nuclear-electric power generation system requirements for orbiter and flyby missions using Saturn V multistage booster
Magnetohydrodynamic, turboelectric, and thermionic power conversion in relation to electric propulsion mission requirements
Temperature control engineering of a nuclear electric spacecraft
Nuclear-electric power requirements for electric rockets - contact and bombardment ion engines, arc jets, and pulsed plasma engines