Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Wright, J. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Wright, J. L..

4 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

The Saturn Orbiter Dual Probe mission concept

This paper presents the results of a mission design study for NASA of the next Saturn mission to follow Voyager. The Saturn Orbiter Dual Probe (SO2P) mission combines three spacecraft - a Saturn orbiter, a Saturn probe, and a Titan probe/lander - into a multipurpose Saturn exploration package. The mission is to conduct a survey from orbit around Saturn and to physically probe bodies in the Saturnian system, the first such mission to do so. The mission has many possible options including: combining solar electric propulsion with earth gravity assist, assembling of IUS stages in orbit, and aerocapture at Titan to insert into Saturn orbit.

Roberts, P. H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Solar sail mission applications

The paper discusses the concept and the current baseline configuration of a reusable solar sail vehicle using light pressure for propulsion. The range of characteristic accelerations which solar sail vehicles might achieve during early years of operation is estimated to be from 0.2 to 1.3 mm/sq sec, with overall sail efficiency about 80 to 90%. Operating without the expenditure of propellant, the vehicle has the potential of delivering large payloads throughout the solar system. Detailed attention is given to various possible missions of the solar sail vehicle operating as an Interplanetary Shuttle. The vehicle may deliver payloads to the inner planets, asteroids, short period comets, or sun polar orbits and then return to earth, possibly with samples. It may also be used for outer planet missions or solar system escape. An 800-m sail may return samples totaling 200 kg from Mars and deliver them to an earth orbital laboratory. The first mission for the solar sail may be rendezvous with Halley's comet in 1982.

Wright, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Shuttle/IUS performance for planetary missions

Potential requirements for planetary missions in the 1980s, capabilities of the Interim Upper Stage (IUS) candidates to perform those missions, and Shuttle/IUS mission profile options for performance enhancement are examined. The most demanding planetary missions are the Pioneer Saturn/Uranus/Titan Probe and the Mariner-class orbiters of Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Options available to designers of these missions will depend on the specific IUS selected for development and the programmatic phasing of the IUS and the NASA Tug. Use of Shuttle elliptic orbits as initial conditions for IUS ignition offers significant performance improvements; specific values are mission dependent.

Cork, M. J.↗