Download or read book Microwave Ecr Ion Thruster Development Activities at NASA Glenn Research Center written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-20 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Outer solar system missions will have propulsion system lifetime requirements well in excess of that which can be satisfied by ion thrusters utilizing conventional hollow cathode technology. To satisfy such mission requirements, other technologies must be investigated. One possible approach is to utilize electrodeless plasma production schemes. Such an approach has seen low power application less than 1 kW on earth-space spacecraft such as ARTEMIS which uses the rf thruster the RIT 10 and deep space missions such as MUSES-C which will use a microwave ion thruster. Microwave and rf thruster technologies are compared. A microwave-based ion thruster is investigated for potential high power ion thruster systems requiring very long lifetimes. Foster, John E. and Patterson, Michael J. Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2002-211877, NAS 1.15:211877, E-13559, AIAA Paper 2002-3837

Download or read book Microwave ECR Ion Thruster Development Activities at NASA Glenn Research Center written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Ion Engine and Hall Thruster Development at the NASA Glenn Research Center written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-20 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NASA's Glenn Research Center has been selected to lead development of NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) system. The central feature of the NEXT system is an electric propulsion thruster (EPT) that inherits the knowledge gained through the NSTAR thruster that successfully propelled Deep Space 1 to asteroid Braille and comet Borrelly, while significantly increasing the thruster power level and making improvements in performance parameters associated with NSTAR. The EPT concept under development has a 40 cm beam diameter, twice the effective area of the Deep-Space 1 thruster, while maintaining a relatively-small volume. It incorporates mechanical features and operating conditions to maximize the design heritage established by the flight NSTAR 30 cm engine, while incorporating new technology where warranted to extend the power and throughput capability. The NASA Hall thruster program currently supports a number of tasks related to high power thruster development for a number of customers including the Energetics Program (formerly called the Space-based Program), the Space Solar Power Program, and the In-space Propulsion Program. In program year 2002, two tasks were central to the NASA Hall thruster program: 1.) the development of a laboratory Hall thruster capable of providing high thrust at high power; 2.) investigations into operation of Hall thrusters at high specific impulse. In addition to these two primary thruster development activities, there are a number of other on-going activities supported by the NASA Hall thruster program, These additional activities are related to issues such as thruster lifetime and spacecraft integration. Domonkos, Matthew T. and Patterson, Michael J. and Jankovsky, Robert S. Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2002-211969, NAS 1.15:211969, E-13612, IMECE-2002-34444

Download or read book An Overview of Electric Propulsion Activities at NASA written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-24 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper provides an overview of NASA s activities in the area of electric propulsion with an emphasis on project directions, recent progress, and a view of future project directions. The goals of the electric propulsion programs are to develop key technologies to enable new and ambitious science missions and to transfer these technologies to industry. Activities include the development of gridded ion thruster technology, Hall thruster technology, pulsed plasma thruster technology, and very high power electric propulsion technology, as well as systems technology that supports practical implementation of these advanced concepts. The performance of clusters of ion and Hall thrusters is being revisited. Mission analyses, based on science requirements and preliminary mission specifications, guide the technology projects and introduce mission planners to new capabilities. Significant in-house activity, with strong industrial/academia participation via contracts and grants, is maintained to address these development efforts. NASA has initiated a program covering nuclear powered spacecraft that includes both reactor and radioisotope power sources. This has provided an impetus to investigate higher power and higher specific impulse thruster systems. NASA continues to work closely with both supplier and user communities to maximize the understanding and acceptance of new technology in a timely and cost-effective manner. NASA s electric propulsion efforts are closely coordinated with Department of Defense and other national programs to assure the most effective use of available resources. Several NASA Centers are actively involved in these electric propulsion activities, including, the Glenn Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. Dunning, John W., Jr. and Hamley, John A. and Jankovsky, Robert S. and Oleson, Steven R. Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2004-213329, AIAA Paper 2004-3328, E-14790

Download or read book Summary of Experiments Performed to Investigate the Effects of Ion Thruster Plumes on Microwave Propagation written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-15 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electric propulsion systems have now reached a level of maturity where they are being used on operational spacecraft. One concern for the designers however, is the effect of the ion exhaust plumes produced by the systems, on microwave communication with the spacecraft. To better understand these effects, a number of propagation experiments were performed at the NASA Glenn Research Center with an operating ion thruster. This report describes the experiments and presents the results of the data obtained. Lambert, Kevin M. and Zaman, Afroz J. Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-1999-209276, E-11732, NAS 1.15:209276

Download or read book Carbon Based Ion Optics Development at NASA Grc written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-21 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With recent success of the NSTAR ion thruster on Deep Space 1, there is continued interest in long term, high propellant throughput thrusters to perform energetic missions. This requires flight qualified thrusters that can operate for long periods at high beam density, without degradation in performance resulting from sputter induced grid erosion. Carbon-based materials have shown nearly an order of magnitude improvement in sputter erosion resistance over molybdenum. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has been active over the past several years pursuing carbon-based grid development. In 1995, NASA GRC sponsored work performed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to fabricate carbon/carbon composite grids using a machined panel approach. In 1999, a contract was initiated with a commercial vendor to produce carbon/carbon composite grids using a chemical vapor infiltration process. In 2001, NASA GRC purchased pyrolytic carbon grids from a commercial vendor. More recently, a multi-year contract was initiated with North Carolina A&T to develop carbon/carbon composite grids using a resin injection process. The following paper gives a brief overview of these four programs. Haag, Thomas and Patterson, Michael and Rawlin, Vince and Soulas, George Glenn Research Center; Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Marshall Space Flight Center NASA/TM-2002-211501, NAS 1.15:211501, IEPC-01-94, E-13241

Download or read book Internal Plasma Properties and Enhanced Performance of an 8 Cm Ion Thruster Discharge written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-15 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a need for a lightweight, low power ion thruster for space science missions. Such an ion thruster is under development at NASA Glenn Research Center. In an effort to better understand the discharge performance of this thruster. a version of this thruster with an anode containing electrically isolated electrodes at the cusps was fabricated and tested. Discharge characteristics of this ring cusp ion thruster were measured without ion beam extraction. Discharge current was measured at collection electrodes located at the cusps and at the anode body itself. Discharge performance and plasma properties were measured as a function of discharge power, which was varied between 20 and 50 W. It was found that ion production costs decreased by as much as 20 percent when the two most downstream cusp electrodes were allowed to float. Floating the electrodes did not give rise to a significant increase in discharge power even though the plasma density increased markedly. The improved performance is attributed to enhanced electron containment. Foster, John E. and Patterson, Michael J. Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-1999-209386, E-11813, NAS 1.15:209386

Download or read book Enhancing Space Transportation written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-07-02 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The NASA Office of Aeronautics, Exploration, and Technology (OAET) supports a research and technology (R and T) program in electric propulsion to provide the basis for increased performance and life of electric thruster systems which can have a major impact on space system performance, including orbital transfer, stationkeeping, and planetary exploration. The program is oriented toward providing high-performance options that will be applicable to a broad range of near-term and far-term missions and vehicles. The program, which is being conducted through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Lewis Research Center (LeRC) includes research on resistojet, arcjets, ion engines, magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters, and electrodeless thrusters. Planning is also under way for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) as part of the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Bennett, Gary L. and Watkins, Marcus A. and Byers, David C. and Barnett, John W. Glenn Research Center; Jet Propulsion Laboratory ...

Download or read book Enhancing Space Transportation the NASA Program to Develop Electric Propulsion written by and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Propulsion Controls and Health Management Research at NASA Glenn Research Center written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-19 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the increased emphasis on aircraft safety, enhanced performance and affordability, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft, there are many new challenges being faced by the designers of aircraft propulsion systems. The Controls and Dynamics Technology Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with the U.S. aerospace industry and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet these challenges. These technologies are being developed with a view towards making the concept of "Intelligent Engines" a reality. The major research activities of the Controls and Dynamics Technology Branch are described in the following. Garg, Sanjay Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2002-211590, E-13375, NAS 1.15:211590

Download or read book Overview of Nasa s Pulsed Plasma Thruster Development Program written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-21 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NASA's Pulsed Plasma Thruster Program consists of flight demonstration experiments, base research, and development efforts being conducted through a combination of in-house work, contracts, and collaborative programs. The program receives sponsorship from Energetics Project, the New Millennium Program, and the Small Business Innovative Research Program. The Energetics Project sponsors basic and fundamental research to increase thruster life, improve thruster performance, and reduce system mass. The New Millennium Program sponsors the in-orbit operation of the Pulsed Plasma Thruster experiment on the Earth Observing 1 spacecraft. The Small Business Innovative Research Program sponsors the development of innovative diamond-film capacitors, piezoelectric ignitors, and advanced fuels. Programmatic background, recent technical accomplishments, and future activities for each programmatic element are provided. Pencil, Eric J. and Kamhawi, Hani and Arrington, Lynn A. Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2004-213291, AIAA Paper 2004-3455, E-14738

Download or read book Development of an Ion Thruster and Power Processor for New Millennium s Deep Space 1 Mission written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-07-02 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Applications Readiness Program (NSTAR) will provide a single-string primary propulsion system to NASA's New Millennium Deep Space 1 Mission which will perform comet and asteroid flybys in the years 1999 and 2000. The propulsion system includes a 30-cm diameter ion thruster, a xenon feed system, a power processing unit, and a digital control and interface unit. A total of four engineering model ion thrusters, three breadboard power processors, and a controller have been built, integrated, and tested. An extensive set of development tests has been completed along with thruster design verification tests of 2000 h and 1000 h. An 8000 h Life Demonstration Test is ongoing and has successfully demonstrated more than 6000 h of operation. In situ measurements of accelerator grid wear are consistent with grid lifetimes well in excess of the 12,000 h qualification test requirement. Flight hardware is now being assembled in preparation for integration, functional, and acceptance tests. Sovey, James S. and Hamley, John A. and Haag, Thomas W. and Patterson, Michael J. and Pencil, Eric J. and Peterson, Todd T. and Pinero, Luis R. and Power, John L. and Rawlin, Vincent K. and Sarmiento, Charles J. and Anderson, John R. and Bond, Thomas A. and Cardwell, G. I. and Christensen, Jon A. Glenn Research Center; Jet Propulsion Laboratory RTOP 242-70-01...

Download or read book Electric Propulsion Technology Development for the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter Project written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-24 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During 2004, the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter project, a part of NASA's Project Prometheus, continued efforts to develop electric propulsion technologies. These technologies addressed the challenges of propelling a spacecraft to several moons of Jupiter. Specific challenges include high power, high specific impulse, long lived ion thrusters, high power/high voltage power processors, accurate feed systems, and large propellant storage systems. Critical component work included high voltage insulators and isolators as well as ensuring that the thruster materials and components could operate in the substantial Jupiter radiation environment. A review of these developments along with future plans is discussed. Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2004-213290, Paper AIAA 2004-3449, E-14737

Download or read book The High Power Electric Propulsion HiPEP Ion Thruster written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-21 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Practical implementation of the proposed Jupiter Icy Moon Orbiter (JIMO) mission, which would require a total delta V of approximately 38 km/s, will require the development of a high power, high specific impulse propulsion system. Initial analyses show that high power gridded ion thrusters could satisfy JIMO mission requirements. A NASA GRC-led team is developing a large area, high specific impulse, nominally 25 kW ion thruster to satisfy both the performance and the lifetime requirements for this proposed mission. The design philosophy and development status as well as a thruster performance assessment are presented. Foster, John E. and Haag, Tom and Patterson, Michael and Williams, George J., Jr. and Sovey, James S. and Carpenter, Christian and Kamhawi, Hani and Malone, Shane and Elliot, Fred Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2004-213194, E-14693, AIAA Paper 2004-3812

Download or read book Nasa s Hall Thruster Program written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-19 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NASA's Hall thruster program has base research and focused development efforts in support of the Advanced Space Transportation Program, Space-Based Program, and various other programs. The objective of the base research is to gain an improved understanding of the physical processes and engineering constraints of Hall thrusters to enable development of advanced Hall thruster designs. Specific technical questions that are current priorities of the base effort are: (1) How does thruster life vary with operating point? (2) How can thruster lifetime and wear rate be most efficiently evaluated? (3) What are the practical limitations for discharge voltage as it pertains to high specific impulse operation (high discharge voltage) and high thrust operation (low discharge voltage)? (4) What are the practical limits for extending Hall thrusters to very high input powers? and (5) What can be done during thruster design to reduce cost and integration concerns? The objective of the focused development effort is to develop a 50 kW-class Hall propulsion system, with a milestone of a 50 kW engineering model thruster/system by the end of program year 2006. Specific program wear 2001 efforts, along with the corporate and academic participation, are described. Jankovsky, Robert S. and Jacobson, David T. and Rawlin, Vincent K. and Mason, Lee S. and Mantenieks, Maris A. and Manzella, David H. and Hofer, Richard R. and Peterson, Peter Y. Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2001-211215, E-13067, NAS 1.15:211215, AIAA Paper 2001-3888

Download or read book Design and Performance of 40 CM Ion Optics written by National Aeronautics and Space Adm Nasa and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2018-10-03 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A 40 cm ion thruster is being developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to obtain input power and propellant throughput capabilities of 10 kW and 550 kg. respectively. The technical approach here is a continuation of the "derating" technique used for the NSTAR ion thruster. The 40 cm ion thruster presently utilizes the NSTAR ion optics aperture geometry to take advantage of the large database of lifetime and performance data already available. Dome-shaped grids were chosen for the design of the 40 cm ion optics because this design is naturally suited for large-area ion optics. Ion extraction capabilities and electron backstreaming limits for the 40 cm ion optics were estimated by utilizing NSTAR 30 cm ion optics data. A preliminary service life assessment showed that the propellant throughput goal of 550 kg of xenon may be possible with molybdenum 40 cm ion optics. One 40 cm ion optics' set has been successfully fabricated to date. Additional ion optics' sets are presently being fabricated. Preliminary performance tests were conducted on a laboratory model 40 cm ion thruster. Soulas, George C. Glenn Research Center; Marshall Space Flight Center NASA/TM-2001-211275, E-13074, IEPC-01-090, NAS 1.15:211275

Download or read book A Cyclic Ground Test of an Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-07-02 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System (IAPS) experiment is designed for launch on an Air Force Space Test Program satellite (NASA-TM-78859; AIAA Paper No. 78-647). The primary objective of the experiment is to flight qualify the 8 cm mercury ion thruster system for stationkeeping applications. Secondary objectives are measuring the interactions between operating ion thruster systems and host spacecraft, and confirming the design performance of the thruster systems. Two complete 8 cm mercury ion thruster subsystems will be flown. One of these will be operated for 2557 on and off cycles and 7057 hours at full thrust. Tests are currently under way in support of the IAPS flight experiment. In this test an IAPS thruster is being operated through a series of startup/run/shut-down cycles which simulate thruster operation during the planned flight experiment. A test facility description and operational considerations of this testing using an engineering model 8 cm thruster (S/N 905) is the subject of this paper. Final results will be published at a later date when the ground test has been concluded. Ling, Jerri S. and Kramer, Edward H. Glenn Research Center...