Deep Space One Investigations of Ion Propulsion Contamination: Overview and Initial Results
NASA's New Millennium Deep Space One (DS1) is the first interplanetary spacecraft operated on solar electric propulsion.
Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Brinza, D..
NASA's New Millennium Deep Space One (DS1) is the first interplanetary spacecraft operated on solar electric propulsion.
The launch of NASA's New Millennium Deep Space One (DS1) mission on October 24, 1998 marks the beginning of interplanetary science missions using spacecraft operated on solar electric propulsion.
A Global analysis of ion thruster plume interactions for interplanetary spacecraft is developed based on a fully 3-dimesional electrostatic PIC-MCC model for the near-field region and a 2 1/2 dimensional electromagnetic hybrid PIC model for the far-field region.
Described is a Particle-in-Cell with Monte Carlo Collision code developed to perform detailed three-dimensional ion thruster simulations. To capture the full kinetic behavior of ion thruster plumes, both the electrons and ions are treated as test particles. Simulation results are given of the NSTAR ion thruster under ground test and in space conditions. Numerical results are compared.
Full three-dimensional numerical models based on partical-in-cell with Monte Carlo collisions (PIC-MCC) simulations are developed to study ion thruster plasma interactions. 3-D simulation results for the NSTAR ion thruster plasma environment are presented.