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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

The NASA Electric Propulsion Program

Nearly all space missions require on-board propulsion systems and these systems typically have a major impact on spacecraft mass and cost. Electric propulsion systems offer major performance advantages over conventional chemical systems for many mission functions and the NASA Office of Space Access and Technology (OSAT) supports an extensive effort to develop the technology for high-performance, on-board electric propulsion system options to enhance and enable near- and far-term US space missions. This program includes research and development efforts on electrothermal, electrostatic, and electromagnetic propulsion system technologies to cover a wide range of potential applications. To maximize expectations of technology transfer, the program emphasizes strong interaction with the user community through a variety of cooperative and contracted approaches. This paper provides an overview of the OSAT electric propulsion program with an emphasis on recent progress and future directions.

Callahan, Lisa Wood↗
NASA NTRS1993

The NASA Electric Propulsion Program

NASA has defined and undertaken an evolutionary technology program for high performance electric propulsion systems, which could greatly affect the logistics weight requirements for such large space structures as Space Station Freedom. Attention is presently given to the development status of hydrazine and high power arcjets, resistojets, the characterization of rocket flows and plumes, electrostatic and electromagnetic propulsion systems, and development programs aimed at the determination of opportune technology-insertion activities.

Curran, Francis M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Integration and Test Flight Validation Plans for the Pulsed Plasma Thruster Experiment on EO- 1

The Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) Experiment on the Earth Observing One (EO-1) spacecraft has been designed to demonstrate the capability of a new generation PPT to perform spacecraft attitude control. The PPT is a small, self-contained pulsed electromagnetic propulsion system capable of delivering high specific impulse (900-1200 s), very small impulse bits (10-1000 uN-s) at low average power (less than 1 to 100 W). Teflon fuel is ablated and slightly ionized by means of a capacitative discharge. The discharge also generates electromagnetic fields that accelerate the plasma by means of the Lorentz Force. EO-1 has a single PPT that can produce thrust in either the positive or negative pitch direction. The flight validation has been designed to demonstrate of the ability of the PPT to provide precision pointing accuracy, response and stability, and confirmation of benign plume and EMI effects. This paper will document the success of the flight validation.

Zakrzwski, Charles↗
NASA NTRS1988

The NASA Electric Propulsion Program

The NASA OAST Propulsion, Power, and Energy Division supports an electric propulsion program aimed at providing benefits to a broad class of missions. Concepts which have the potential to enable or significantly benefit space exploration and exploitation are identified and advanced toward application in the near and far term. This paper summarizes recent program progress in mission/system analysis; in electrothermal, electrostatic, and electromagnetic propulsion technologies; and in propulsion/spacecraft integration.

Stone, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The NASA Electric Propulsion Program

The NASA OAST Propulsion, Power, and Energy Division supports an electric propulsion program aimed at providing benefits to a broad class of missions. Concepts which have the potential to enable or significantly benefit space exploration and exploitation are identified and advanced toward application in the near and far term. This paper summarizes recent program progress in mission/system analysis; in electrothermal, electrostatic, and electromagnetic propulsion technologies; and in propulsion/spacecraft integration.

Stone, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Helicopters and VTOL. I

Performance projections into the next half-century of VTOL aircraft design are presently made on the basis of recent design trends. Attention is given to the technology-development and commercial prospects for tilt-rotor, thrust-vectoring hover, lighter-than-air, and speculative electromagnetic-propulsion, remotely-beamed power systems. Highly automated air traffic control systems are envisioned which will incorporate AI, satellite positioning, synthetic vision, obstacle detection/avoidance and fiber-optic transmission to safely manage giant airborne mass-transit commuter systems. It is expected that tilt-rotor aircraft will become the dominant VTOL configuration as time passes.

Burks, John S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Space Station Freedom - Accommodation for technology R&D

The paper examines the features of the accommodation equipment designed for the candidate technology payloads of the Space Station, which include magnetic plasma thruster systems and a hypothetical advanced electromagnetic propulsion system utilizing high-temperature superconductivity materials. The review of the accommodation-equipment concepts supports the assumption that some propulsion technologies can be tested on the Space Station while being attached externally to the station's truss structure. For testing technologies with inherent operation or performance hazards, space platforms and smaller free-flyers coordinated with the Space Station can be used. Diagrams illustrating typical accommodation equipment configurations are included.

Holt, Alan C.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Status of Pulsed Inductive Thruster Research

The TRW Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT) is an electromagnetic propulsion system that can provide high thrust efficiency over a wide range of specific impulse values. In its basic form, the PIT consists of a flat spiral coil covered by a thin dielectric plate. A pulsed gas injection nozzle distributes a thin layer of gas propellant across the plate surface at the same time that a pulsed high current discharge is sent through the coil. The rising current creates a time varying magnetic field, which in turn induces a strong azimuthal electric field above the coil. The electric field ionizes the gas propellant and generates an azimuthal current flow in the resulting plasma. The current in the plasma and the current in the coil flow in opposite directions, providing a mutual repulsion that rapidly blows the ionized propellant away from the plate to provide thrust. The thrust and specific impulse can be tailored by adjusting the discharge power, pulse repetition rate, and propellant mass flow, and there is minimal if any erosion due to the electrodeless nature of the discharge. Prior single-shot experiments performed with a 1-meter diameter version of the PIT at TRW demonstrated specific impulse values between 2,000 seconds and 8,000 seconds, with thruster efficiencies exceeding 55% for ammonia and hydrazine propellants. This paper outlines current and planned activities to transition the single shot device into a multiple repetition rate thruster capable of supporting future DOD and NASA strategic enterprise missions.

Hrbud, Ivana↗
NASA NTRS2001

Design of the EO-1 Pulsed Plasma Thruster Attitude Control Experiment

The Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) Experiment on the Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) spacecraft has been designed to demonstrate the capability of a new generation PPT to perform spacecraft attitude control. The PPT is a small, self-contained pulsed electromagnetic Propulsion system capable of delivering high specific impulse (900-1200 s), very small impulse bits (10-1000 micro N-s) at low average power (less than 1 to 100 W). EO-1 has a single PPT that can produce torque in either the positive or negative pitch direction. For the PPT in-flight experiment, the pitch reaction wheel will be replaced by the PPT during nominal EO-1 nadir pointing. A PPT specific proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm was developed for the experiment. High fidelity simulations of the spacecraft attitude control capability using the PPT were conducted. The simulations, which showed PPT control performance within acceptable mission limits, will be used as the benchmark for on-orbit performance. The flight validation will demonstrate the ability of the PPT to provide precision pointing resolution. response and stability as an attitude control actuator.

Zakrzwski, Charles↗
NASA NTRS2002

Status of Pulsed Inductive Thruster Research

The TRW Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT) is an electromagnetic propulsion system that can provide high thrust efficiency over a wide range of specific impulse values. In its basic form, the PIT consists of a flat spiral coil covered by a thin dielectric plate. A pulsed gas injection nozzle distributes a thin layer of gas propellant across the plate surface at the same time that a pulsed high current discharge is sent through the coil. The rising current creates a time varying magnetic field, which in turn induces a strong azimuthal electric field above the coil. The electric field ionizes the gas propellant and generates an azimuthal current flow in the resulting plasma. The current in the plasma and the current in the coil flow in opposite directions, providing a mutual repulsion that rapidly blows the ionized propellant away from the plate to provide thrust. The thrust and specific impulse can be tailored by adjusting the discharge power, pulse repetition rate, and propellant mass flow, and there is minimal if any erosion due to the electrodeless nature of the discharge. Prior single-shot experiment,; performed with a Diameter diameter version of the PIT at TRW demonstrated specific impulse values between 2,000 seconds and 8,000 seconds, with thruster efficiencies of about 52% for ammonia. This paper outlines current and planned activities to transition the single shot device into a multiple repetition rate thruster capable of supporting NASA strategic enterprise missions.

Hrbud, Ivana↗
NASA NTRS2002

On-Orbit Testing of the EO-1 Pulsed Plasma Thruster

The Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) Experiment on the Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) spacecraft has demonstrated the capability of a new generation PPT to perform spacecraft attitude control. The PPT is a small, self-contained pulsed electromagnetic propulsion system capable of delivering high specific impulse (900-1200 s) and very small impulse bits (10-1000 microN-s) at low average power (4 to 100 W). EO-1 has a single PPT that can produce torque in the positive or negative pitch direction and replace the function of the spacecraft s pitch reaction wheel. The flight validation experiment was designed to demonstrate the ability of the PPT to provide precision pointing accuracy, response and stability, and to confirm that the thruster plume and EMI effects on the spacecraft and instruments were benign. The PPT has been successfully used for pitch attitude control accumulating over 26 hours of operational time with over 96,000 pulses. Thruster performance has been nominal and all spacecraft subsystems and instruments continue to show no detrimental effects from PPT operation.

Zakrzwski, Charles↗
NASA NTRS1979

Electromagnetic interference assessment of an ion drive electric propulsion system

The electromagnetic interference (EMI) form elements of an ion drive electric propulsion system was analyzed, and the effects of EMI interaction with a typical interplanetary spacecraft engineering and scientific subsystems were predicted. SEMCAP, a computerized electromagnetic compatibility assessment code, was used to analyze the impact of EMI noise sources on 65 engineering/telemetry circuits and 48 plasma wave and planetary radio astronomy channels measuring over the range of 100 Hz to 40 MHz in a spacecraft of the Voyager type; manual methods were used to evaluate electrostatics, magnetics, and communications effects. Results indicate that some conducted and radiated spectra are in excess of electromagnetic compatibility specification limits; direct design changes may be required for filtering and shielding of thrust system elements. The worst source of broadband radiated noise appears to be the power processor. The magnetic field necessary to thruster operation is equivalent to about 18 amp-sq m per amp of beam current at right angles to the axis caused by the neutralizer/plume loop.

Whittlesey, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Liquid-Metal-Fed Pulsed Electromagnetic Thrusters For In-Space Propulsion

We describe three pulsed electromagnetic thruster concepts, which span four orders of magnitude in power processing capability (100 W to >100 kW), for in-space propulsion applications. The primary motivation for using a pulsed system is to is to enable high (instantaneous) power operation, which provides high acceleration efficiency, while using considerably less (continuous) power from the spacecraft power system. Unfortunately, conventional pulsed thrusters require failure-prone electrical switches and gas-puff valves. The series of thrusters described here directly address this problem, through the use of liquid metal propellant, by either eliminating both components or providing less taxing operational requirements, thus yielding a path toward both efficient and reliable pulsed electromagnetic thrusters. The emphasis of this paper is to conceptually describe each of the thruster concepts; however, initial test results with gallium propellant in one thruster geometry are presented. These tests reveal that a greater understanding of gallium material compatibility, contamination, and wetting behavior will be necessary before a completely functional thruster can be developed. Initial experimental results aimed at providing insight into these issues are presented.

Markusic, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Electromagnetic interference of power conditioners for solar electric propulsion

Electrical, multikilowatt power conditioning (PC) equipment needed on board a spacecraft utilizing solar electric propulsion creates an electromagnetic environment that is potentially deterimental to the science, navigation, and radio communication hardware. Within the scope of the solar electric propulsion system technology program, three lightweight, 2.5-kW PCs were evaluated in terms of their electromagnetic characteristics. It was found that the levels of radiated and conducted interference exceeded the levels anticipated for a solar electric propulsion mission. These noise emissions, however, were the result of deficient interference design in these models, rather than a basic inability to control interference in this type of PC.

Whittlesey, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

NASA electric propulsion technology

It is pointed out that the requirements for future electric propulsion cover an extremely large range of technical and programmatic characteristics. A NASA program is to provide options for the many potential mission applications, taking into account work on electrostatic, electromagnetic, and electrothermal propulsion systems. The present paper is concerned with developments regarding the three classes of electric propulsion. Studies concerning electrostatic propulsion are concerned with ion propulsion for primary propulsion for planetary and earth-orbit transfer vehicles, stationkeeping for geosynchronous spacecraft, and ion thruster systems. In connection with investigations related to electromagnetic propulsion, attention is given to electromagnetic launchers, the Hall current thruster, and magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters. In a discussion of electrothermal developments, space station resistojets are considered along with high performance resistojets, arcjets, and a laser thruster.

Berkopec, F. D.↗
NASA NTRS1964

Electric propulsion.

Electrothermal, electrostatic and electromagnetic thrustor for spacecraft propulsion

ELECTRIC PROPULSION↗