Plasma processes of DC ion thruster discharge chambers
This study has advanced state-of-the-art dishcarge modeling and revealed important aspects of discharge plasma processes.
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This study has advanced state-of-the-art dishcarge modeling and revealed important aspects of discharge plasma processes.
We will report on the test apparatus, calibrations of the system, the test procedure used and results for 13, 20 and 30-segment isolators.
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We present a characterization of the stability characteristics of the ionic fluid EMI-Im to the operation of colloid microthrusters in gamma radiation environments.
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This paper describes two methods used by the Cassini Attitude Control team to determine these key parameters and how flight telemetry was used to estimate them. The method for estimating the spacecraft inertia tensor exploits the conservation of angular momentum during spacecraft slews under reaction wheel control.
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For missions beyond low Earth orbit, spacecraft size and mass can be dominated by onboard chemical propulsion systems and propellants that may constitute more than 50 percent of the spacecraft mass. This impact can be substantially reduced through the utilization of Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) due to its substantially higher specific impulse. Studies performed for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and Science Mission Directorate have demonstrated that a 50kW-class SEP capability can be enabling for both near term and future architectures and science missions. A high-power SEP element is integral to the Evolvable Mars Campaign, which presents an approach to establish an affordable evolutionary human exploration architecture. To enable SEP missions at the power levels required for these applications, an in-space demonstration of an operational 50kW-class SEP spacecraft has been proposed as a SEP Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM). In 2010 NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) began developing high-power electric propulsion technologies. The maturation of these critical technologies has made mission concepts utilizing high-power SEP viable.
The ISS is the largest and most complex platform for space science utilization in low Earth orbit. Multiple sites for external payloads, with exposure to the associated natural and induced environments, are available to support a variety of space science utilization objectives. Contamination is one of the induced environments that can impact performance, mission success, and science utilization on the vehicle. The ISS has been designed, built, and integrated with strict contamination requirements to provide low levels of induced contamination both on the ISS vehicle’s own contamination-sensitive surfaces and on external payload assets.
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Lithium Lorenza Force Accelerators (LFA's) are capable of processing very high power levels and are therefore applicable to a wide range of challenging missions.
The Deep space One Project is the first advanced technology validation mission that is part of the New Millennium Program sponsored by the Natioanl Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).