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Results for “delta-v requirements”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Interplanetary trajectory optimization

A procedure for minimizing total impulsive Delta-V for constrained multiple-flyby trajectories, which was originally developed for application to satellite tours, has been modified for application to interplanetary trajectories. The modification includes adding to the cost function the Delta-V required to escape from a parking orbit about the launch planet and the Delta-V required for insertion into orbit about the arrival planet. The hyperbolic excess velocity vector with respect to the launch planet and the launch date have been added to the set of independent variables for the optimization. Each trajectory originates at departure from the parking orbit rather than at a fixed position in space, as is the case for the satellite tour application. The multi-conic trajectory propagation techniques and the Newton optimization algorithm of the original method have been retained. Examples of the application of this new method are given for several types of Galileo interplanetary trajectory options, including Mars powered flyby, broken plane, VEGA, and Delta VEGA trajectories.

Damario, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A feasibility assessment of nuclear reactor power system concepts for the NASA Growth Space Station

A preliminary feasibility assessment of the integration of reactor power system concepts with a projected growth Space Station architecture was conducted to address a variety of installation, operational, disposition and safety issues. A previous NASA sponsored study, which showed the advantages of Space Station - attached concepts, served as the basis for this study. A study methodology was defined and implemented to assess compatible combinations of reactor power installation concepts, disposal destinations, and propulsion methods. Three installation concepts that met a set of integration criteria were characterized from a configuration and operational viewpoint, with end-of-life disposal mass identified. Disposal destinations that met current aerospace nuclear safety criteria were identified and characterized from an operational and energy requirements viewpoint, with delta-V energy requirement as a key parameter. Chemical propulsion methods that met current and near-term application criteria were identified and payload mass and delta-V capabilities were characterized. These capabilities were matched against concept disposal mass and destination delta-V requirements to provide a feasibility of each combination.

Bloomfield, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A feasibility assessment of installation, operation and disposal options for nuclear reactor power system concepts for a NASA growth space station

A preliminary feasibility assessment of the integration of reactor power system concepts with a projected growth space station architecture was conducted to address a variety of installation, operational disposition, and safety issues. A previous NASA sponsored study, which showed the advantages of space station - attached concepts, served as the basis for this study. A study methodology was defined and implemented to assess compatible combinations of reactor power installation concepts, disposal destinations, and propulsion methods. Three installation concepts that met a set of integration criteria were characterized from a configuration and operational viewpoint, with end-of-life disposal mass identified. Disposal destinations that met current aerospace nuclear safety criteria were identified and characterized from an operational and energy requirements viewpoint, with delta-V energy requirement as a key parameter. Chemical propulsion methods that met current and near-term application criteria were identified and payload mass and delta-V capabilities were characterized. These capabilities were matched against concept disposal mass and destination delta-V requirements to provide the feasibility of each combination.

Bloomfield, Harvey S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Moonport: Transportation node in lunar orbit

An orbital transporation system between the Earth and Moon was designed. The design work focused on the requirements and configuration of an orbiting lunar base. The design utilized current Space Station technologies, but also focused on the specific requirements involved with a permanently manned, orbiting lunar station. A model of the recommended configuration was constructed. In order to analyze Moonport activity and requirements, a traffic model was designed, defining traffic between the lunar port, or Moonport and low Earth orbit. Also, a lunar base model was used to estimate requirements of the surface base on Moonport traffic and operations. A study was conducted to compare Moonport traffic and operations based in low lunar orbit and the L (sub 2) equilibrium point, behind the Moon. The study compared delta-V requirements to each location and possible payload deliveries to low Earth orbit from each location. Products of the Moonport location study included number of flights annually to Moonport, net payload delivery to low Earth orbit, and Moonport storage requirement.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1972

Navigation requirements for rendezvous with the satellites of Mars.

Navigation aspects of a rendezvous mission to Deimos (the outer satellite of Mars) were examined using a modified Viking Monte Carlo error analysis program. Rendezvous is initiated by two-impulse transfer from an observation orbit cotangent with the orbit of Deimos. Television sightings of the satellite against a star background will allow a 20 km closest approach radius (R99) 99% of the time. This is well within the 100 km range of the terminal rendezvous radar. An additional delta-V capability of about 100 m/sec (above the nominal) must be allocated to account for the statistical nature of the mission. This delta-V requirement was found to be very sensitive to the level of satellite ephemeris error and maneuver execution error. The R99 on the other hand, is sensitive to the in-orbit DSN error and the maneuver execution error.

Satin, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Mission opportunity maps for rendezvous with earth-crossing asteroids

Rendezvous missions for earth-crossing asteroids are of interest to NASA, for scientific purposes as well as for technological applications and ecological implications. To provide a comprehensive data base for planners of such missions, a mission opportunity map (MOM) has been created for eight relatively easy-to-access asteroids. A MOM presents such mission data as launch dates, flight times, and launch and postlaunch delta-V requirements for all useful mission opportunities. The merits of a MOM are: (1) searches for all useful mission opportunities are completed in the process of generating a MOM, and (2) a clear view of good and bad opportunities, the extent of performance variations, and the repeatability of the missions.

Yen, C.-W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Trajectory options for the Mariner Mark II Tempel 2 rendezvous mission

Recent schedule changes have motivated a reassessment of the mission options for the Mariner Mark II Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby. A new baseline mission has been selected, which will launch in September 1992 and arrive at comet Tempel 2 in December 1996. The geometry of the comet's orbit imposes on the mission total delta-V requirements that can best be met by selection of a delta-V-EGA trajectory, during which an earth gravity assist is used to improve mission performance. There is considerable freedom in the choice of comet arrival date and asteroid flyby targets; associated with each potential asteroid flyby is a different penalty in terms of delta-V and comet arrival data. Analysis of the trajectory and the asteroid flyby options will continue throughout the early phases of the Project.

Stetson, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Ballistic Mercury orbiter mission via Venus and Mercury gravity assists

It is shown that it is possible to deliver a payload of 600 to 2000 kg to a 300-km circular orbit at Mercury using presently available NASA Space Transportation Systems and a single-stage bipropellant chemical rocket. This superior payload performance is attained by swingbys of Venus, plus (more importantly), the use of the reverse Delta-V/EGA process. In contrast to the Delta-V/EGA process (used to boost the launch energy by returning to earth for a gravity assist), the reverse Delta-V/EGA process reduces the Mercury approach energy each time a spacecraft makes a near-resonant return to Mercury for a gravity assist and reduces the orbit-capture Delta-V requirement. The mission sequences for such high-performance missions are described, and example mission opportunities for the years 1990 to 2010 are presented.

Yen, C.-W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Aeroassisted manned transfer vehicle (TAXI) for advanced Mars Transportation: NASA/USRA 1987 Senior Design Project

A conceptual design study of an aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicle is discussed. Nicknamed TAXI, it will ferry personnel and cargo: (1) between low Earth orbit and a spacecraft circling around the Sun in permanent orbit intersecting gravitational fields of Earth and Mars, and (2) between the cycling spacecraft and a Mars orbiting station, co-orbiting with Phobos. Crew safety and mission flexibility (in terms of ability to provide a wide range of delta-V) were given high priority. Three versions were considered, using the same overall configuration based on a low L/D aerobrake with the geometry of a raked off elliptical cone with ellipsoidal nose and a toroidal skirt. The propulsion system consists of three gimballed LOX/LH2 engines firing away from the aerobrake. The versions differ mainly in the size of the aeroshields and propellant tanks. TAXI A version resulted from an initial effort to design a single transfer vehicle able to meet all delta-V requirements during the 15-year period (2025 to 2040) of Mars mission operations. TAXI B is designed to function with the cycling spacecraft moving in a simplified, nominal trajectory. On Mars missions, TAXI B would be able to meet the requirements of all the missions with a relative approach velocity near Mars of less than 9.3 km/sec. Finally, TAXI C is a revision of TAXI A, a transfer vehicle designed for missions with a relative velocity near Mars larger than 9.3 km/sec. All versions carry a crew of 9 (11 with modifications) and a cargo of 10000 lbm. Trip duration varies from 1 day for transfer from LEO to the cycling ship to nearly 5 days for transfer from the ship to the Phobos orbit.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2026

Spacecraft Disposal Rosetta Stone: Parametric Tool for Orbital Lifetime, Disposal, and Cost Assessment

This Technical Memorandum documents a simplified, parametric method for evaluating spacecraft orbital lifetime, disposal compliance, and disposal-related cost impacts during early mission formulation and preliminary design. The method captures the dominant drivers of orbital decay—effective ballistic coefficient, operating altitude, and solar-cycle variability—using conservative bounding assumptions. Solar maximum conditions are used to bound achievable mission lifetime, while solar minimum conditions are used to bound disposal timelines and compliance with orbital debris requirements. A single tabulated dataset provides orbital lifetime under both solar-cycle extremes together with representative disposal ΔV required to ensure compliant disposal, enabling rapid assessment of disposal feasibility, cost sensitivity, and system-level impacts prior to committing to higher-fidelity analyses.

Orbital debris mitigation↗
NASA NTRS1985

Solar thermal propulsion for planetary spacecraft

Previous studies have shown that many desirable planetary exploration missions require large injection delta-V. Solar Thermal Rocket (STR) propulsion, under study for orbit-raising applications may enhance or enable such high-energy missions. The required technology of thermal control for liquid hydrogen propellant is available for the required storage duration. Self-deploying, inflatable solar concentrators are under study. The mass penalty for passive cryogenic thermal control, liquid hydrogen tanks and solar concentrators does not compromise the specific impulse advantage afforded by the STR as compared to chemical propulsion systems. An STR injection module is characterized and performance is evaluated by comparison to electric propulsion options for the Saturn Orbiter Titan Probe (SOTP) and Uranus Flyby Uranus Probe (UFUP) missions.

Sercel, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

LO2/LH2 propulsion for outer planet orbiter spacecraft

Galileo class orbiter missions (750-1500 kg) to the outer planets require a large postinjection delta-V for improved propulsion performance. The present investigation shows that a pump-fed low thrust LO2/LH2 propulsion system can provide a significantly larger net on-orbit mass for a given delta-V than a state-of-the-art earth storable, N2O4/monomethylhydrazine pressure-fed propulsion system. A description is given of a conceptual design for a LO2/LH2 pump-fed propulsion system developed for a Galileo class mission to the outer planets. Attention is given to spacecraft configuration, details regarding the propulsion system, the thermal control of the cryogenic propellants, and aspects of mission performance.

Garrison, P. W.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Future spacecraft propulsion

Propulsion requirements for launch vehicles, upper stages, satellites and platforms, and planetary spacecraft are described from a functional perspective and compared on an energy basis. Mission velocity requirements for a range of missions are presented. A simple model relating optimum exhaust velocity and maximum system delta-V as a function of system-specific energy is developed, which provides insight into the relationship between system performance and various power and propulsion subsystem characteristics. Based on this model, various advanced propulsion options, e.g., the solid-core nuclear rocket and nuclear electric propulsion, are evaluated, and the implications of this analysis for propulsion and power system technology development programs are discussed. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of future propulsion requirements for the nonspecialist.

Garrison, P. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Modest asteroid or comet flyby mission trajectories

The paper discusses modest comet or asteroid missions which require a launch energy of 20 sq km/sq s or less and allow only navigational post launch delta-V's. Objects with perihelia of 2.0 AU are available directly after an earth launch; this distance is extended to 2.4 AU by a Mars gravity assist and the flyby speeds can be reduced. Twenty-one asteroid targets have been identified for Mars gravity assist trajectories using the 1986 Mars opportunity. Two asteroids on direct trajectories with low asteroid flyby speeds and four Mars gravity assist targets are identified as possible rendezvous targets for launches with capability of carrying the rendezvous delta-V engines.

Bender, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The ages of globular cluster stars - Effects of rotation on pre-main-sequence, main-sequence, and turnoff evolution

Evolutionary sequences for low-metallicity stars (Z ranging from 0.001 to 0.0001) to study the effects of internal stellar rotation on the evolutionary time scales in the pre-main sequence, the main sequence (MS), and around the MS turnoff. Although a substantial amount of angular momentum remains in the interior, rotation is only a minor perturbation on the structure and ages of globular cluster stars. Even models with large initial angular momenta have MS lifetimes that are within 1 percent of those of standard models of the same mass and composition. Therefore, rotation does not affect age estimates of globular clusters from isochrone fitting. Furthermore, the models suggest that because rotation is not likely to affect horizontal-branch (HB) morphology, it does not affect significantly age estimates from the Delta-V method. Nevertheless, the internal angular momentum in the models is consistent with observations of surface rotational velocities on the HB, which require the preservation of a large reservoir of internal angular momentum.

Deliyannis, Constantine P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) mission profile

The GOES mission profile used to achieve geostationary orbit following separation from the Delta launch vehicle is described. The mission profile was constrained by the solid-propellant apogee kick motor which was undersized relative to the spacecraft weight. The resulting deficiency in delivered delta-V had to be made up by the spacecraft hydrazine propulsion system. The mission profile which best utilizes the on-board hydrazine requires that the transfer orbit apogee height be biased 13,800 km above geosynchronous altitude. This maximizes the effectiveness of the apogee motor in performing the plane change necessary to achieve near-equatorial orbit. The highly eccentric drift orbit which results from the apogee motor firing has an average drift rate of 60 deg/day. Circularizing this orbit requires maneuvers designed to achieve geostationary position within a tightly constrained hydrazine allocation. The sequence takes advantage of the orbit changes resulting from attitude maneuvers and combined inplane/out-of-plane maneuvers to achieve hydrazine savings.

Bryant, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Optimization and closed loop guidance of drag modulated aeroassisted orbital transfer

An analysis of optimal and near optimal atmospheric flight trajectories for drag modulated aeroassisted orbital transfer is presented. An explicit and adaptive closed loop guidance approach for this mode of orbit transfer is also presented with performance near the optimal nominal trajectories. The orbital transfer of interest is for return from high earth orbit to low earth orbit. Most of what is discussed in this paper concerns the aeroassisted or atmospheric segment which lowers the apogee of the high earth orbit to the apogee of the low earth orbit. Minimization of the total impulsive delta-V at this low earth orbit apogee is the optimization criterion. Control about this impulse due to a number of potential error sources in atmospheric braking is the requirement imposed on closed loop guidance.

Kechichian, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A strawman targeting technique for spinner spacecraft in the presence of pointing uncertainty

A graphical method that allows the selection of the attitude orientation of a spinner spacecraft prior to the application of a single fixed magnitude velocity change to effect a desired orbit transfer is presented. The selection of the final pointing vector along or opposite to which the desired Delta-V is applied, takes into account pointing errors due to initial attitude determination uncertainty and execution errors introduced during the rhumb line precession of the spin axis. The characterization of the target space in terms of any achieved orbit parameters of interest as well as the final pointing uncertainty is sufficient to determine the right final attitude that insures satisfaction of mission requirements.

Kechichian, J. A.↗